Discovering New Worlds
This week as we began a project on creating in VR, we were presented with the question What is a world? After sitting through about six hours of discussion on the topic, I’ve come to the conclusion that there really is no wrong answer; it’s just a matter of perspective. Worlds can be big or small, loud or quiet, living or non-living, fictitious or fact.
When I first think of worlds, I immediately think of some of the video games I’ve seen and been especially attracted to. Two of these are Journey and The Witness. In Journey, the player controls a figure wandering the desert, headed to a mountain in the distance. Through an internet connection, other players from around the world may appear on screen, but the only way of communicating is through a musical chime. This game has some of the most beautiful terrain, and the soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy. In The Witness, the player travels through an open world island solving various puzzles created from the environment. I love the visuals in this game because they’re so vividly colored, and I’m really intrigued by finding these puzzles within the natural elements.
In thinking about non-living worlds, I think of systems, circuits, and processes. One of the processes that is most important to me is that of the inner workings of a camera. All of these gears, sensors, mirrors, and buttons work together as a system for the one function of recording a photograph or video.
When I think of fictional worlds, the world of a Jane Austen novel is one of my absolute favorites. These have a hint of reality to them, as they take place in England in the late 1700s/early 1800s. But I am drawn most to the characters that make up these worlds, usually poor families with daughters wondering how they will ever find a husband they love who can support them. I’ve watched a plethora of tv and movie versions of various novels, and it’s interesting to see the different ways this fictional world is interpreted in a physical sense. In fact, I think it makes the world a bit more special to see the contrast throughout.
All in all, I’m extremely excited to begin physically creating my own worlds, the worlds currently living inside of my head.
