Readers of this New York Times
piece encounter the imminent innovations of the gaming company Valve
Corporation. For those unfamiliar with Valve,
this company presented the virtual world with the Half-Life series. This reference means little to me, but then
again, the last video game I played was Mario Kart on my N64…
According to the article, Valve
is a startlingly original company with pioneering ideas and lauded foresight. Currently, Valve is developing “the next big
thing in games.” Are you ready?
Wearable computing goggles are Valve’s
present direction. “This technology
could let players lose themselves inside a virtual reality and, eventually,
blend games with their views of the physical world.”
Though I have little
understanding of the appeal of gaming, I do not condemn it, as my own hobbies
are hardly more redeemable. Indeed, online
shopping and reality television are likely less reputable leisure activities
than gaming, considering they neither exercise nor expand my mental capabilities.
That being said, when I browse eBay
for a new purse or watch reruns of the latest Housewife spectacles, I do not
forfeit my worldly presence to a virtual world.
I maintain all awareness of my present surroundings and never disengage
from the truth of my existence. Can the
same be said of video games?
As a lover of books, I suppose I
do recognize the perils of tempting alternate worlds. Indeed, when I engage too severely in a novel,
I begin to long for that fictional reality.
This mode of video gaming is even more threatening to man’s awareness,
as it offers alluring depictions of a world that promises tangible pleasures, but can never legitimately supply them.
Overall, I fear this type of
technology because, pixel by pixel, it distances man from truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment