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As the late screenwriting legend William Goldman famously said; \u201cnobody knows anything\u201d so predictions \u2013 especially about technology \u2013 always run the risk of making people look silly in the not-so-distant-future. <\/span><\/p>\n That said, I\u2019m going to go out on a limb and say in the next few years we\u2019re going to see more people becoming \u201cVirtual Reality Refugees.\u201d By which I mean immersive technologies will provide increasingly attractive alternatives for those wishing to escape the dreamlike madness that has overtaken our real world. <\/span><\/p>\n This isn\u2019t a completely new idea\u00a0\u2014<\/span> it\u2019s been explored in movies, literature, and tons of tech articles\u00a0\u2014<\/span> but this past year has convinced me it\u2019s not a far-off possibility, it will be our reality before we know it. <\/span><\/p>\n This year has been a remarkable year for immersive technologies (which include the whole spectrum of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality).<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen a compelling use cases emerge for AR, VR, and MR across <\/span>education<\/span><\/a>, industry, <\/span>retail<\/span><\/a> and training, as well as the increased acceptance of it as an art form, with festivals all over the world dedicating space to showcasing VR strands.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>Raindance Film Festival<\/span><\/a>, for example, received 600 VR submissions this year, including the <\/span>first feature-length feature<\/span><\/a> in the format. There\u2019s little doubt the medium is growing up fast. <\/span><\/p>\n Social VR<\/span><\/a> companies like Sansar, High Fidelily, AltspaceVR, and others have continued to develop their platforms and build up their user base.<\/span><\/p>\n Hardware, too, has evolved significantly this part year, with the long-awaited launch of <\/span>Magic Leap<\/span><\/a> and the release of the <\/span>Oculus Go<\/span><\/a>, which means it\u2019s now possible to have untethered, six degrees of freedom experiences in a headset costing under $200.<\/span><\/p>\n Although these technologies haven\u2019t quite yet reached the equivalent tipping point that we\u2019ve seen with the web or mobile, there is steady growth and <\/span>predictions the market will continue to grow<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, in the real world\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Scientists agree we\u2019re about to face <\/span>increasingly dire consequences from climate change<\/span><\/a>, and NGOs argue only radical action can hope to avert the <\/span>next mass extinction<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n But while nature burns, democracies large and small, old and young, from Brazil to Italy to the US and many more, have chosen to elect populist governments that deny climate change is even real, and who openly advocate racism, misogyny, and intolerance, as well as a general contempt for institutions such as a free press. Even countries like Sweden, Germany, and Holland have seen far-right parties make significant gains in recent elections. <\/span><\/p>\n Although this is certainly upsetting \u2013 in my case I\u2019ve got four nationalities (US, Brazil, UK, and Italy) and have watched as each of the countries where I have a right to vote have swung towards such candidates \u2013 the underlying causes of the phenomenon are the most worrying thing. <\/span><\/p>\n People everywhere are angry, they feel let down, cornered, hopeless. And that\u2019s a dangerous position for nations to find themselves in. The global trend unequivocally points towards mass revolt, a lashing out in anger at institutions to make a point (regardless of whether the results harm everyone), and an almost gleeful willingness to throw out the baby with the bathwater. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The situation has got so dire that over the past year I have found almost impossible to watch the news. I can take about 15 minutes before starting to shout at the TV like a mad person, and end up switching over to Netflix.<\/span><\/p>\n And I\u2019m certainly not alone. Many of my friends report similar behavior, and it\u2019s a fact that in times of crisis there\u2019s always a <\/span>surge in demand<\/span><\/a> for novels, blockbuster movies, video games, and anything else that offers a way out from a reality that\u2019s become too painful to face on a regular basis. <\/span><\/p>\n In turbulent times, people crave easy answers, and unscrupulous players are always poised to take advantage. This includes irresponsible Brexiteers who think nothing of pushing the UK into economic collapse for their short-term political gain, the \u201cstrong men\u201d such as Brazil\u2019s Bolsonaro and Duterte in the Philippines, and ranges to Trump\u2019s relentless attacks on the checks and balances systems that sustain democracy in the United States \u2013 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Troubled times also bring heightened demand for escapism. The Romans \u2013 who knew a thing or two about building empires and keeping people in check \u2013 understood this all too well, a concept known as <\/span>panem et circenses<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span> The Roman concept was centered around the idea you need to provide people with bread and circus in order to keep them under control. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s therefore no coincidence some of the Romans\u2019 greatest infrastructure projects were temples dedicated to the concept of mass distraction, like the magnificent Colosseum. It\u2019s basic human nature, after all, and we\u2019ve never stopped doing it. The only difference is our future Colosseums are likely to be virtual spaces. <\/span><\/p>\n As part of my job I spend a fair amount of time in simulated worlds, trying out virtual experiences, and I\u2019m always struck by how powerful they are in relation to even the best movies or video games. The sense of presence you get with VR really is something else.<\/span><\/p>\n I believe once more people have the chance to experience just how powerful that sense of presence, of truly \u201cbeing\u201d somewhere else both physically and psychologically can be with these technologies, the consumer demand for it will be overwhelming. <\/span><\/p>\n Which got me thinking that the scenario conjured up by Ernest Cline in <\/span>Ready Player One<\/span><\/i><\/a> \u2013 <\/span><\/i>which Steven Spielberg made into a film in 2018 \u2013 might not actually be that far off.<\/span><\/p>\n Sure, the novel\/film at first seems to depict a far-fetched futuristic dystopia, but the elements of that universe are all too familiar. In the story, mankind has damaged the environment to the point where natural resources have basically ran out, causing economic collapse and \u2013 consequently \u2013 political uncertainty and war. <\/span><\/p>\n At the same time, technology has advanced sufficiently so that it\u2019s possible for most people to access highly detailed and sensory-rich virtual worlds on a semi-permanent basis. A bit like the\u00a0<\/span>scene in the Matrix<\/span><\/a> where Cypher is eating a juicy steak, and tells Agent Smith that he knows it isn\u2019t real, but doesn\u2019t care. <\/span><\/p>\n Although we\u2019re not at the Matrix stage quite yet (unless you subscribe to the theory that <\/span>we\u2019re already trapped in a Matrix<\/span><\/a>) the pace of development with immersive tech has been nothing short of remarkable.<\/span><\/p>\n In the past year alone, I\u2019ve gone from mostly experiencing VR in short bursts to comfortably watching a feature-length film without a hint of nausea or discomfort. I believe it\u2019s pretty much inevitable that the technology will continue to advance exponentially, driving quality up and prices down, shrinking hardware to the point where it will effectively become invisible. <\/span><\/p>\n But will we get there in the 2019? Possibly not. The <\/span>latest forecasts <\/span><\/a>have revised some of their initial exuberance about sales of VR and AR devices, so it\u2019s a safer bet to look at the long game. <\/span><\/p>\n Think about the last time you looked around and noticed \u2013 really noticed \u2013 all the people around you checking their phones? The ones that weren\u2019t were probably just done checking or just about to. We have become thoroughly dependent upon the stream of digital information that plugs into our daily lives through those mobile devices. <\/span><\/p>\n Already that technology is nearly invisible, but fast-forward five or ten years into the future (if we make it that far <\/span>before civilizations collapses<\/span><\/a>) and I\u2019m willing to bet that most of us won\u2019t be using a screen-based device you need to carry around, take out of your pocket or fish around in your bag for, hold or touch in order to interact with that data stream. It will all be done through wearables, gaze, voice, predictive AI, all integrated into the Mixed Reality spectrum. <\/span><\/p>\nWhy 2018 was the pivotal year<\/b><\/h2>\n
Virtual Colosseums for the masses<\/b><\/h2>\n