At the moment Virtual Reality still feels like a game with imaginary parallel worlds. But in his talk on Tuesday, A deep history of VR, technology journalist Luca Caracciolo predicts that it will become ever more integrated into our daily lives – and reminds us that humans have been living with imaginary worlds for centuries.

Roughly 2500 years ago, Plato set out his cave allegory according to the philosopher, humans live in a world of shadows, a make-believe world in which they at best can see versions of real ideas. Two thousand years later a similar idea emerged in popular culture: the film “The Matrix” shows humans living within a fake world, in reality they are slaves of evil machines. Humans have continuously engaged with questions surrounding the gap between reality and imaginary worlds. For Luca Caracciolo, Chief Editor of the magazine t3n, an outdated question: “By 2040 we will be able to chose which world we live in.”

According to Caracciolo, Virtual Reality (VR) is not a new trend but rather an age old human need. Daydreaming follows the same principle; for up to 35% of the day, people consciously enter into a fantasy world. “Humans are able to be in two places at the same time”, says Caracciolo.

It could be tempting to say that the computer generated worlds into which VR glasses and helmets transport us are somehow fake. But whoever thinks that the VR world is only an illusion just needs to witness a Japanese VR product tester sweating with fear when trying to save a kitten from a tiny ledge 200 metres high up. Product testers shake all over and balance with their arms outstretched, even though they know that nothing could happen to them, as in reality they have their feet firmly on the ground.

In 2014, Facebook bought the VR start-up Oculus for over two billion dollars. What was Mark Zuckerberg betting on? “Virtual Reality provides a natural sphere for interacting”, says Caracciolo. It's obvious that Facebook will direct its social network towards VR. “In the future it will be completely irrelevant where we are”, predicts Caracciolo. “We can connect with people anywhere.”

By Shea Westhoff (EJS) and Kerstin Grünewald (FF)

Photo credit: Kerstin Grünewald