Through Digital Media, changes in the social and technological culture of civilization are progressing to new levels of understanding and comprehension. Each day a new idea is formed towards the betterment of the human race whether sociological, industrial, or digital. The concept of Media Richness and Immersion is one subject that is shaping the way digital media is being processed by individuals across the planet. The purpose of this blog is to discuss what these theories are, and how they are being implemented in the games industry to create new gaming experiences for the community.
Media richness is the theory of peer-to-peer communication, the richer the communication method or means used, the more effectively the message is sent and received. (Daft, Lengel. 1984) Take for example a text message, it is harder to pick up on sarcastic cues or body language over a mobile phone then it is talking face to face. The game Mass Effect 2 created by BioWare touches on an advanced form of this subject with a communications relay that projects a person’s image to another location, allowing two individuals to speak with each other in person. (BioWare, 2010) Ideally this would be the richest form of digital peer-to-peer interaction, yet the implementation of the concept is at present fictitious. Immersion on the other hand, according to a definition from the Dictionary, is a ‘state of being deeply engaged or involved; absorbed’. (Dictionary.com, 2010) It is the combination of these two concepts that encourages discussion on the subjects of Virtual and Augmented Reality.
According to Ronald T. Azuma, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) “Immerse a user inside a synthetic environment. While immersed, the user cannot see the real world around him. In contrast, AR allows the user to see the real world, with virtual objects superimposed upon or composited with the real world.” (Azuma, 1997) It has long been the desire of the games industry and the game community to experience VR, as seen in the Sony advert showcasing the Playstation 9. (Sony, 2006) Yet, it is arguable that games already encompass a sense of VR, if not in the traditional sense. If “immersion” into a VR simply means to experience a game so enthralling that the real world is blocked out, surely VR has been achieved. So long as the player remains in what Huizinga calls “The Magic Circle” where “Players exist within this circle, and are thus forced to abide by the rules of the game when inside, yet upon exiting the “circle” regain consciousness of the outside world.” (Huizinga, 2009) essentially, the player has entered VR. Unfortunately, devices that provide gamers with VRs that affect all 5 senses are still in the making.
Where VR is still being contemplated and researched, AR is already branching out. Relating back to Mass Effect 2, the story highlights a device that is a common use within the narrative’s universe. The device is called an Omni-Tool, which is a glove that can project a virtual screen across the arm to perform a range of different functions. (Walters, Karpyshyn, 2010) Though based in a fictitious universe, researchers at Carnegie Mellon have already started prototyping an early, if not closely related device that can project a screen onto the arm and functions by sensing tap pressure applied to certain parts of the skin. Currently, the device is being trialled for the use of iPod functionality, even a game of Pong can be played on the device using finger to palm taps to move the paddles up and down. (Crecente, 2010) This could be the very beginning of VR as games start to become skin touch oriented. Who knows what will come from further research into devices such as this?
As technology continues to advance, especially gaming devices, soon the idea of a “Sony Playstation 9” will become a reality and no longer a science fiction story. Delving deeper into media richness, the world will witness new means of communication and peer-to-peer interaction derived straight from narratives and games like Mass Effect 2. Until then, pass the controller and let the age of computerised information processing continue to churn out fanciful perspectives of what’s to come.
Gamography
Mass Effect 2, BioWare, 2010
Pong, Atari Inc, 1972
References
Azuma, T. R. (1997, August) A Survey of Augmented Reality. In Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 6, 355-385.
BioWare. (2010, Feburary). Mass Effect 2: Exclusive Illusive Man Gameplay [HD] [GameTrailers]. Accessed 14 november, 2010, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkvj3xzNgf0
Crecente, B. (2010, March). New Tech Turns Your Skin Into a Game-Controlling Touch Pad. Accessed 15 November, 2010, from: http://www.kotaku.com.au/2010/03/new-tech-turns-your-skin-into-a-game-controlling-touch-pad/#more-385692
Daft, R. L. & R. H. Lengel (1984). Information richness: a new approach to managerial behavior and organizational design. Research in Organizational Behavior 6, 191-233.
Dictionary.com (2010, November). Immersion. Accessed 14 November, 2010, from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/immersion
Huizinga, J. (2009, September). Huizinga’s Magic Circle. Accessed 14 November, 2010, from: http://vgc.zachwhalen.net/content/huizingas-magic-circle
Sony. (2006, December). Sony Playstation 9 the Future of Gaming in Year 2078. Accessed 14 November, 2010, from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2gzRQ5f3No
Walters, M. & Karpyshyn, D. (2010, February). Mass Effect 2 Manuel. Edmonton: Electronic Arts.
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