A rift in reality: exploring the Oculus Rift’s effect on dream and waking realities
Faculty Advisor
Date
2016
Keywords
rift, Oculus Rift, VR headsets, VR interfaces, dreams, video games, game transference effect, virtual reality, consciosness, playing
Abstract (summary)
A rift is about to occur. Not simply the release of the Oculus Rift in early 2016 or other affordable VR headsets like it. But rather a rift in our very perception of reality and our understanding of what consciousness is. With the widespread release of VR interfaces of the public, for the first time in history people's ability to frequently toggle their vintage point of reality - be it by slipping into dreams, engaging in their waking life, or by playing the video games they like to play - will have profound effect on their ability to distinguish each nuance of those perceived realities from one another. And this phenomenon of carrying some aspects of playing a game into real life, previously documented simply as the 'game transference effect', has game developers and researchers alike scrambling to fully understand and appreciate the depths to which virtual reality might help to challenge or bolster the average person's vantage point of reality.
Publication Information
Gackenbach, J.I., Anson, M., Mosley, E., Sinyard, A. & Snyder, T. (2016, Spring). A rift in reality: Exploring the Oculus Rift’s effect on dream and waking realities. DreamTime, 8-10.
DOI
Notes
Item Type
Article
Language
English
Rights
All Rights Reserved