24 hour gaming

[durath]

I have a question. If you could become fully immersed in a gaming world(assume extremely advanced VR) would you?

Let us also assume that your body could be sustained while you were inside fantasyland. Would you give up the real world for a fantasy one?

Would it make a difference to you if you knew that fantasyland wasn't real?

Would you live in the matrix, so to say.

I'm just curious as to how attached to this world people are.

 

[Darklance]

Depends. How would I support myself financially when in this thing? I don't know if I could stand leaving something so great to go to work.

Otherwise.....yes I think so. I mean...I suppose I'd miss my family and friends but my own mind would be creating the ultimate family/friends/lovers for me so why deal with this flawed reality? It would be better if I did not know it was fake but I'm not sure how I would deal with it if I knew it was.

You'd never be bored and always be happy. What could be better?

Good question BTW. Really gets you thinking.

 

[Moe Ronalds]

Living in a fantasy land with no actual human contact, other than a few make-believes that we know aren't real? Nah-ah. I have a friend or two who may miss me.

 

[durath]

Even if you knew it was fake do you think you'd eventually get over that.

I would think so, kind of like people who tell the same lie so many times they eventually believe it.

 

[Limper]

None of us are real anyway, so sure why leave.

Moe once you were used to it you'd believe the simulated friends would miss you as well. You'd have human contact inside the machine as well. I'm guessing the point of this is it would be sufficiently advanced so as to be indistinguishable from real reality, else its not much of a conundrum.

 

[hong]

=== REPOST ===

[color=burlywood]
Subject: Re: What about hard-science errors in VERNOR VINGE? 
From: [email]jdnicoll@panix.com[/email] (James Nicoll)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written

In article <992896173snz@bluejo.demon.co.uk>,
Jo Walton <Jo@bluejo.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <9glmn0$qdr@gap.cco.caltech.edu>
>           [email]teneyck@alumnae.caltech.edu[/email] "Ross TenEyck" writes:
>
>> What I find strange is the number of people who *want* to
>> upload themselves into the net.  Me, I like the physical
>> world.
>
>Ian McDonald, talking about this precise issue at a con, asked "Does 
>Greg Egan get out much?" The phrase just sums it up perfectly for me.

	I like the idea of uploads of other people. Keep them in 
a sealed computer with no external outlets I don't control and simulate
what their real-world behavior would be to various stimulae. I think
I will call it a 'help help file'.
[/color]

=== END REPOST ===

 

[sircaren]

maybe not 24/7

Hmmm, I think I would enjoy it immensely - just not forever or all the time. How about like a hobby, or just for recreation.

(at least that is how it would start)

 

[Umbran]

I think people tend to forget that fantasy worlds generally draw their power from contrast with the real world, from taking you away from the drag of the everyday. If it becomes full-time, it ceases to be an escape. If the fantasy elements become normal, they cease to be... fantastic.

Who cares if you can throw fireballs and fly if everyone else can do it, too? The hardened warrior will tire of slaughter just as quickly as the tired accountant tires of columns of numbers.

No game remains a game if it's all you ever do.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

Thinking makes my brain itch.

Now this is an interesting question...I really don't think that I could live fully in a VR world. I think it woud be incredible to be able to make forays into the realm of the fantastic and would probably stay there for quite a whiel, but I would miss interaction with my friends family, and even modern technology. If all of my friends were there in the fantasy world...then I could probably stay for several days straight, if it were able to sustain me physically.

So no, I would not permanently "live in the Matrix," but I would enjoy frequent vacations there

 

[333 Dave]

Finally, a good use for the Construct! Bah, loading training programs is boring! How about Role-Being Game!
Yes. Yes I would. As long as I could define the paremeters of the world to fit my tastes (which I can do in D&D)...