According to Stanford University, a leading VR research facility, VR can really mess with your head. Check out these videos explaining things like: - Virtual experiences can cause false memory formation in children. - Virtual reality can increase physical exercise and health behavior. - Spending time in avatars changes attitudes and behavior in the physical world. - Facial morphing in avatars can swing an election.
link: http://vhil.stanford.edu/videos/ It's a bit scary if you think about how VR can alter real world perceptions. Taken to its extreme, VR can easily become a new and practically invisible form of subliminal messaging. I'm only half kidding when I suggest we should all buy stock in Facebook.
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.
As a long time consumer of psych research, one thing that too often happens is the overstating and sensationalisation of conclusions, normally because they have to justify their funding.
So often I have seen a claim of some incredible or scary effect or principle in psychology, and two months later some other study finds the complete opposite. Yeah that's how science works, but in the meantime blogs and Huffington Post have turned these tentative findings into orwellian nightmare gospel.
Cynicism aimed at the world however, not you Viz. Can I call you Viz? 🙂 Feel free to call me wirey pants or something.
Please, call me Viz. 🙂 I too enjoy psychological studies, propaganda is my preferred specialty. What? I can't sensationalize once in a while? I'm being cheeky here. At least I linked to the source, which is more than a 24 hour news channel does. Within all paranoia lies that small kernel of truth just waiting to be uncovered. (cue X-files theme) There's a grey area between too much caution and not enough. The former can drive you INSANE, the latter can KILL you. :lol:
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.
Well, if it wouldn't have any effects the whole medical department wouldn't be as interested in the rift as they currently are which is a good thing. A certain user in these forums used to go nuts about the fact that VR can influence you in more ways than television can for example. I don't think it's something to be afraid of though. I think it's something we should embrace and use to it's full potential. For science. You monsters. 8-)
You're right, VR shouldn't be feared. Do we even know the full psychological potential of VR? Shouldn't we, as VR developers and enthusiasts, take some responsibility to study VR's psychological effects before releasing it to the masses as this century's new "toy"? Is Stanford full of shit when they say that a child's brain can be altered with VR to contain false memories? Or that a simple avatar height adjustment can make a grown adult feel more (or less) empowered in the real world? So yes, you're right, VR shouldn't be feared, but what about those who will eventually control it? Should we embrace them too?
Edit: After giving this some thought, I'm probably overreacting here. Besides this wont happen till long after the monkey overlords take control. Virtual bananas for EVERYONE!
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.
If you fear who will control VR you should be much more concerned about who controls the media today. I can tell you already that it won't be that revolutionary tech that lets you control large portions of our society. These technologies are already around you. You're looking at the biggest contributor when reading this very text. If you want to be as free and uncontrolled as you are today years after VR took off I'm fairly certain that you will be. Welcome to our modern society. :mrgreen:
Silver wire strings of current, a puppet's dance of sorrow. Who controls the strings today, what strings to pluck tomorrow? Fresh fruit on the grapevine gold, harvest plucked and served ice cold.
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.
I don't think there will be anything to fear from (drink Coke) the new Virtual methods of interacting with these exciting (delicious refreshing Coke) new immersive worlds.
You should see my new suit. Bought it right after I was in Facebook Virtual Chat. Another avatar was wearing a really nice Armani suit and Facebook gave me the option to dress my avatar similarly for free. When I put it on, my avatar grew three inches vertically, but when I removed the virtual suit, my avatar shrunk permanently to 4 inches shorter than I was before I wore the suit. When I put the virtual suit back on I go back to being my tall, confident self.
So yeah, you should see this new suit I just bought.
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.