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How Do I Choose the Best Virtual Reality Books?
Choosing the best virtual reality books simply requires deciding which field of virtual reality one finds the most interesting. Fortunately, there are a wide range of literary works related to virtual reality and related concepts, so choosing one in particular will depend on the preferences of the reader. If there are particular technologies or elements surrounding the field of virtual reality that the reader finds intriguing, such as the ideas of telepresence or augmented reality, he or she may enjoy reading books that focus on those topics.
Virtual reality refers to computer simulated worlds and is an expansive field that may be more advanced than many people are aware. These simulated environments have been the subject of many fictional works but have also have various real life uses. Archeologists often use a form of virtual reality when they create simulated computer models of research sites, allowing them to examine and explore what structures or objects may have been like in their original forms. Many concepts that were once confined to the realm of science fiction have been extensively researched and further developed, topics a reader may enjoy exploring in virtual reality books.
These technologies are advancing beyond only visual experiences with innovations such as haptic feedback or augmented reality, which are both the subject of extensive literature that is available to the public. Augmented reality refers to enhancements allowed by audio or video information, motion sensors, or global positioning technology, which are usually provided to the user through a wearable device. Haptic feedback, which is similar to force feedback, refers to tactile, stimulation that is produced by a device that is touched or worn. A common example of this kind of technology that many readers may be familiar with is a phone touch screen, which produces a small vibration when certain menu features or numbers on the dial pad are touched. These are all topics that can be explored in various virtual reality books.
Every author who writes virtual reality books has his or her own style and choice of subject that may correspond to a reader's preferences. When a reader discovers an author that he or she finds enjoyable, exploring their other literary works could prove to be a very positive experience. Investigating other works of an author than the reader likes can lead him or her to discover a number of new topics to learn about. Reading virtual reality books can stimulate one's imagination and open his or her mind to new and interesting information.
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![An author who writes virtual reality books has his own style and choice of subject matter.]()
By: michaeljungAn author who writes virtual reality books has his own style and choice of subject matter. -
![Every author who writes virtual reality books has his or her own style and choice of subject that may correspond to a reader's preferences.]()
By: Chris TefmeEvery author who writes virtual reality books has his or her own style and choice of subject that may correspond to a reader's preferences.
Discussion Comments
@irontoenail - That's exactly what people are worried about when they warn about the dangers of this kind of technology. Because it's nice to think of old people being able to have adventures in a virtual world, but if you then picture kids doing the same thing, it gets a bit troublesome.
Kids are already spending half their lives in front of TVs and computer screens. If they were able to jack straight into those mediums it would change the way we fundamentally interact with each other.
People have written stories in which virtual reality was used as a kind of "opiate for the masses" and I could well believe it might become something like that. After all, if you have the ability to escape into another world, why wouldn't you do it?
@Mor - Well, to be honest, I think older people are going to be a main market for virtual reality once it becomes a part of daily life. One of the tragedies of the modern era is that there are so many older people who have lived past the time when their bodies have become worn out, and they get shuffled into old folks homes, unable to contribute to society. They have very little to live for in a lot of cases, because they are not able to get around and do the things they used to do.
If there was a way for them to live a virtual life, as many of them are already starting to do through the internet, that would be wonderful. They could be trekking through the Amazon or sailing the Pacific from an arm chair in the same awful home. Their bodies might be prisons, but their minds would be free.
One of the most vital and important authors who explored virtual reality through fiction is William Gibson. Neuromancer, which has a virtual reality that people can jack into was one of my first exposures to what real virtual reality would be like. It's not as pretty and high minded as many others would like to think it would end up.
There are many others who have touched on this subject though. I actually think it is inevitable that we will create some kind of virtual reality, whether through completely co-opting the human mind and feeding it false information about its surroundings or by creating a suit that uses haptic feedback to simulate another world. I just hope it becomes a possibility before I get too old to enjoy it.
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