1) Of the 16 Lessons, which one you MOST agree with and which one you LEAST agree with.
The one I MOST agree with is 14. Privacy and data security will be critical to enable an acceptable VR-First future. I think the VR-First future for people in the future is similar to what mobile phones and online community means to us. Currently, privacy and data security is already a serious problem, from the PRISM program to normal people’s lives. I have seen countless news that people got arrested because of saying something illegal, or even unreasonable, which was an initial cause of a huge spread of coronavirus, but that is another story. Going back to the VR future, since the world has already developed into the stage where avatar identity becomes almost as important as a person’s real-world identity, the result of disclosure of private information or data leakage will be fatal. As the author has pointed out, we also need to guarantee freedom of speech in the VR world.
The one I LEAST agree with is 7. VR can erase race and gender inequality gaps. VR can erase the gaps in the virtual world, but never your real, physical identity in the real world. Personally speaking, I think this kind of thought or recognition itself is increasing the inequality gaps. Why should different races/genders be erased instead of being presented fairly? This kind of behavior is just hiding the essence of the problem instead of solving it. What’s more, I think Leah’s (I remembered it was her if not sorry about that :P) opinion makes a strong sense. The gaps have been there for so many years, and it is something rooted in the culture and people’s mind, it cannot simply be erased by changing your avatar identity. What if someone wants to know his/her friend in real life, face-to-face? What will be people’s reactions if they find out that their friend is not that person they know in the VR world?
2) Reading response
One of the most inspiring perspectives the article has provided is the concept of the mirror world. I have been to many mirror rooms before, and I know I will feel pain when I get into the wrong way and touch the fake world. However, the mirror world which is built by advanced technology will not only have the looking, but also its “context, meaning, and function”. The author mentions that we will interact with, manipulate and experience it. So far I know some VR games/applications that people can interact with, what surprised me is the prospect of another real world, the unimaginable 1:1 world map.
Another attractive thing is shopping from your home. Wayfair mentions the app that can place the 3D object in your room directly, while in this situation consumers are “11 times more likely to buy”. I admit that if I can try the clothes online before buying it with the assistance of VR, this will benefit both myself and the seller (I will buy more and won’t return). The brand new area does get filled with wealth. The concept of the 4D world is also amazing – you can go beyond the restriction of the real-world in virtual reality. This is so attractive for a 3D human being (me). However, when I read the paragraph that talked about Google Lens, which is smart enough to identify objects and advise you, I was worried that I might lose my ideas with a “good advisor” by me, and my ideas, as well as my privacy and personal data, might be leaked. Seeing artificial intelligence like Siri coming out of my device is kind of horrible to me. Moreover, though it is already mentioned in the article, people might get lost in the virtual world since it is so free inside. This reminds me of Inception: if people get caught up in the virtual world, how can their lives in the real-world be sustained? I know I might enjoy the convenience brought by the VR/AR as long as I start using it and my worry might just be someone’s fear in the face of new technology just like my grandpa hating the smartphone, and the development of VR/AR still need decades, this is really what I am worrying now.
3) Review NYU Shanghai VR Titles Catalog and select 3 to experience.
I would like to experience this one because it gives me a strong feeling of a future cyberpunk city, and I have been interested in the concept of cyberpunk, experiencing the cyberpunk city in person can inspire me more.
I like the art style of the game and how the players can control the timeline in the game, interact with the game with a creator identity.
VR news provides me with the thinking that it can be a new form of new in the future to replace the online apps that exist now. News in such an immersive and creative way may change people’s perspective on the news, and that’s also why I want to try it.
p.s I am also super interested in A VR Spacewalk, but I saw a few comments saying something like “But the controls are clunky at best when hand-holding around the ISS, and don’t even get me effing started when you go tumbling.” One of the biggest reasons why this project attracts me is because of its interaction, so if that doesn’t work well I would be disappointed. But if everything can go well, I would use this to replace Angest.
P.p.s Giant is awesome but too depressive, I don’t want to experience it again. 🙁
4) I found a lot of options on Taobao about the VR headset, and the price varies a lot. And most of them are from Shanghai/Guangdong province which I think can be delivered conveniently. But the recommended types are all expensive and I am worried about the quality of the cheap ones.