What is real?
Teenager: Is it a game… or is it real?
Computer: What’s the difference?
Remember this dialog between David Lightman (teenager) and Joshua (computer) in the movie Wargames? For those of you who have not seen the movie, here is a brief synopsis. In the early days of the computer era when we used to dial in, a high school nerd is able to log on to a computer at NORAD because he likes to play games online. While the teenager thinks that he is simply playing the game “Global Thermonuclear War,” the computer starts to simulate a full-scale World War III, and the United States almost launches a counter-attack on Soviet Union based on (obviously) wrong data from the computer.
From reality to virtual reality to augmented reality. The line between what is real and what is a fantasy is becoming thinner. Have you ever noticed what is going on in Second Life? It’s not just kids playing with each other any more; Fortune 500 companies are positioning their brands and people can sell space on their rooftops for billboards to corporations and get paid real money. Watch this video that shows how the real and imaginary are becoming almost one and the same.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.