What Do I Want From A Virtual World?
All the hype surrounding the upcoming new Matrix movie has me thinking. What would I want from a limitless virtual world? Currently, my viewpoint is like Ready Player One (the book, not the movie.) I’d just jump on my treadmill, put on my goggles, and instantly be someone else somewhere else. Living a life that I have only been able to read about even if only for a few minutes or hours has an appeal to it. Being able to have a level of immersion that is beyond any video game is something I want.
Would someone else have to design my experiences? Would that be the limitation or would I, a non-programmer, be able to create my own? Could I be a superhero or a supervillain? Could I be the star of my favorite movie? Could I pilot a giant flying robot? Could I learn Kung Fu and beat off twenty trained adversaries. Could I just fly above it all?
Some possibilities scare me a bit. What would dating be like in a world where anyone can look like anything? People might be able to plan violent crimes more effectively including their successful escape or just indulge their darkness. That virtual world could easily be more desirable and more addictive than the real one. There’s no need to improve myself physically if I can look perfect in the matrix.
I’ve been trying to think of the one thing I’d really want that’s not just a video game life or some passing extreme experience. I have an inner circle of friends, just a few but they live too far away to visit physically, or they are just too busy to take the time to commute to a meet-up. We get by on the occasional phone or video call. What I’d really like to do is just jack in and sit with them in a virtual room where we could experience each other’s presence. We could just talk or watch a movie or game together on a ridiculously large screen. I imagine each of us sitting in a circle in really comfy chairs just talking, sharing, and laughing even though each of us may be physically, in different parts of the world. I’d like a virtual world that would bring us closer.
