Chapter 2 reaction
In this chapter the author discusses the history of virtual worlds, going as far back to Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” to novels and early video games. The term “virtual” has recently been associated with emerging technology and the computer age. However, as the author states the term is used to describe something that maybe isn’t physically there but can still be experienced in a way that is ‘real’. With the example of books the author explains that the journey one’s mind may take in a book isn’t physically being felt but it is still being experienced in a ‘real way.’ Second Life is another virtual world that has built upon older one’s as technology advances. The interactivity of Second Life and the social aspect of it makes it easier for one to get more immersed in this particular virtual world. Not all virtual world’s have to include lifestyle simulation or the same level of interactivity though, a book or a game of Pong still offer a ‘real’ experience offered through a less physical medium.