The main concern of the article is the necessity of immersion for
a truly interactive experience, basically stating that we need a
transparent medium in order to truly become 'lost' in a VR world.
The total immersion in a VR reality is related to a reader's
relationship to a work of fiction. When one reads a book, one
sees through the medium to a 'world' that the author has
constructed. Coleridge refers to this ability of the reader to
transport him/herself into a text only world as "willing
suspension of disbelief."
Basically, there are two types of worlds, or experiences, that
one can have. The actual world...which is the world from which
one experiences the self speaking and in which one feels totally
immersed. The second type is nonactual, which we view from
outside. In the realm of nonactual worlds one can see it as if
from a telescope (still lodged firmly in the actual world), or
from a space travel perspective in which consciousness is
relocated into that world.
A physical book can be experienced as immersive. One reads
through the book: for plot, not words. Haven't you ever
experienced reading a book and really seeing the world and
characters actions. The reader is also encouraged to consider
characters' motivations and so the depth of the world is
increased.
VR achieves a similar sense of immersion, but much more
totalizing and withthe possibilities of interaction. VR controls
the senses more obviously than does reading a novel. One is
placed in the position of an omniscient, impersonal
narrator--freed from normal confines ofhuman knowledge..stripped
ov ourselves, we create a new fictitious persona.
Some critics are against VR. Some postmodernists read it as
being a "passive subjection to authority of the world-designer."
Not only does VR often not contain interactive elements and so
leaves us simply/passively experiencing someone elses creation,
but the VR world makes the context and the signs that construct
the meanings of that context invisible and so further push us
into the creator's world, even to the point of hindering our
ability to step back and see that it is a construction as a
result of the invisibility of the signs. We become personally
involved in the work, thus losing critical consciousness. This
can also happen with a book, but the material presence of the
book is an obvious reminder.
The topic of interactivity basically focuses around two issues.
1) The ability to navigate the virtual world, and 2) the ability
to modify the environment. The believability of a VR world is
dependent on many things. The most immersive of interactive
programs is one that does not just allow the participant to react
to readymade elements, but creates data in 'real time.' It is
most interesting (and interactive) when the computer does not
retrospectively already know what the outcome will be, but when
it generates information prospectively, or without knowledge of
the outcome of the interaction.
The three most important elements to the success of an immersive
and interactive environment is 1) speed-or rate of input, 2)
range-or number of possiblities, 3) and mapping-or the realism of
the VR environment.
Interactivity is important for Literary Theory in its ability to
let the reader participate in the creative process, and question
the distinctions between author/reader, actor/spectator, and
producer/consumer. The article discusses the possibility of
being totally immersed and yet conscious of the construct at the
same time. This is a deconstructive method, which does not
usually keep the reader's attention. For such an awareness, the
most successful approach is to play between the two, the two can
are mutually exclusive, but one can learn to appreciate the
layers of the text: immersive and the actual construct.
VR is closer to hypertext than any other book form. ALthough
hypertext is not completely interactive in that one cannot
usually create new pieces of a document, they are able to
navigate their own path through the work and so have a certain
amount o control. Some hypertext is interactive, allowing the
reader to add text or links or make believe as a predefined cast
member.
Immersion or Interactivity: Dilemma of Textual Representation
In all but the VR forum (where immersion and interactivity are
easily reached) there are usually problems of either immersion or
aesthetic design. One is always aware of the text they are
reacting with (whether holding a book or clicking on hypertext
links). The article says that such things disturb the success of
immersion and so cause a problem between immersion and
interactivity in most mediums.