Week 7 - Topic 7 - eXistenZ

Lecture –

We watched eXistenZ that goes into detail about the ability for video games to become too close to reality, creating a virtual reality that is hard to distinguish a difference between actual realities. The movie was about a video game that allowed its players to become immersed in the actual game, feeling the emotions of the characters and thinking as their character would. It sounds very similar to normal current video games; however within this particular game in the film, the people are transported in their minds into the game in their own bodies. The film ends with a question of whether or not they were still in the game, questioning how close virtual reality is to actual reality. It’s futuristic but shows how society could be heading if gradual progression leads us there.

Tutorial –

We had not tutorial this week, just to catch up on anything we haven’t done yet.

Reading –

The reading for this week discusses the idea of war as entertainment, stating at one point that viewers should sit down and wait to see what comes next. It discusses the introduction of military songs to enhance entertainment. It then goes on to talk about war games and how useful they are as training tactics, as well as for entertainment value. The introduction of flight simulators allowed pilots to learn without endangering their expensive aircrafts. This is therefore a very expensive and effective form of virtual reality, which requires it’s users to believe that the ‘game’ they are playing is in actual fact, reality. Discussions took place between the military and Hollywood movie executives to find out how they could use television to assist in the war against terror. It was mentioned that the war needed a narrative.