Question of Violence in the Construction of Virtual Environments

• NCJ Number: 150878
• Author(s): T T Patkin
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 20 pages
• Corporate Author: Eastern Connecticut State University
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This paper was presented at the International Conference on Violence in the Media: Prospects for Change, held on October 3-4, 1994, in New York City. The conference was sponsored by St. John's University.

Annotation

Violence in virtual reality environments is explored.

Abstract

The author hypothesizes that the results of studies linking television violence and aggression are likely to apply to virtual reality (VR). This paper extrapolates what is known about experiencing violence as content and process in several computer-related media -- including video games, interactive fiction, computer-mediated communication and text-based virtual realities such as a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) and MOO (MUD, Object Oriented) -- in an effort to outline the general issues relating to violence in VR. The author reminds the reader that VR is more realistic than any previous medium, including the viewer inside the message. Violence is easier for VR programmers to create, lessening the need for creativity about the social, psychological, or artistic aspects of the scenario. Examples abound where art and reality have been blended so as to blur the boundaries between fiction and reality. Computer scientists are exploring the concept of mirroring reality. The author concludes somewhat ominously that VR players transcend the passivity of the audience member of the traditional media. They become part of the violence itself; the medium merging with the messenger. 26 references