The idea of virtual realities has a long and complex historical trajectory, spanning from Plato's concept of the cave and the simulacrum, to artistic styles such as Trompe L'oeil, and more recently developments in 3D film, television and gaming. However, this book will pay particular attention to the time between the 1980s to the 1990s when virtual reality and cyberspace were represented, particularly in fiction, as a wondrous technology that enabled transcendence from the limitations of physical embodiment. The purpose of this critical historical analysis of representations of virtual reality is to examine how they might deny, repress or overlook embodied experience. Specifically, the author will contend that embodiment is a fundamental aspect of immersion in virtual reality, rather than something which is to be transcended. In this way, the book aims to challenge distorted ideas about transcendence and productively contribute to debates about embodiment and technology.
Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Histories of Virtual Reality Computation Cybernetic Totalism Discourses Informational Society Cyberculture Cinematography Interactivity and Computer Graphics Video Games 2. Virtually Real and Really Virtual Code/Language Simulation and Hyper-Reality Military Simulation Big Data Simulated Spaces Theoretical Challenges 3. Technological Intimacy and Social Estrangement in Strange Days Estrangement Testimonial Verisimilitude Thrilling Experiences Lifeworld 4. Virtual Identities and Material Bodies On-line Identities and Virtual Selves Avatars Surrogates Social Networks Catfish Gamer Mediated Lives 5. Virtual Reality, Transcendence and Flights from Embodiment in Source Code Cartesian Dualism Neuroscience Cybernetics Technological Transcendence Brain Machine Interface 6. Technology, Embodiment and Being-In-The-World Osmose Avatar The Cinematic Spectacle Saving Pandora - Saving the World 7. Virtuality and Simulation in William Gibson's Zero History Cyberspace and Cyberpunk Signifying Systems Branding Visual Culture Rootlessness and Liquidity Simulacra Vintage Incompleteness 8. Conclusion References Filmography Index
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