What
would draw people to use this system? First of all, it will be fun,
since it will be designed like a game and have multi-user interaction.
Second, it will be interesting since people who use the system will
be exposed to new visual and auditory perceptions of the world. The
project should also encourage users to take a deeper look at who they
are and how they are a part of the vast community of organisms on the
Earth.
Many
deep questions are posed by presenting an environment in which people
can:
- Remove themselves
from the "real" environment in which we live as humans.
- Put themselves
into the virtual body of another species within a virtual environment
modeled after the "real" environment.
- Experience the
world through a potentially infinite number of perceptual filters.
By interacting with
this installation, users would be able to experience the freedoms and
limitations of other animals' bodies. They would experience how similar
and different we are from other species. The context of the installation
also has the potential to bring up questions of evolutionary theory,
bio-technology and ethics, artificial intelligence, the role of the
computer system with which all the interactions take place, and many
other issues. Imagine if we could literally engineer ourselves to have
the body of another species with the mental capacity of a human. The
engineering of the alien is very possible, given today's computer advances,
and this installation is designed to show people the consequences of
such engineering.
The design of the
virtual world could also change the perspective of the user. For example,
if the world is made up of water, grass, and trees, it would be like
immersing oneself into the environment in which many animals exist (an
environment without much direct influence by humans). This type of world
would allow us to see what it is like as an animal who doesn't even
consider the existence of humans. Given today's human-centric society,
this would be a very interesting environment to explore, since as humans
we can rarely escape the influence of our society. The system could
also be designed to include virtual worlds that are human-centric to
varying degrees. This would stimulate examination of issues concerning
the survival of different species trying to live in the environment
humans have created. For example, what do sea gulls experience on a
beach that humans use? And finally, one could design a complete fantasy
environment (many current-day console games are designed in this way).
This too could be potentially interesting, but is common in entertainment
and might not raise many new questions.
A good design for
the game might be to have the virtual world change over a period of
time. The simulation would start in a state which resembles present-day
species' population levels and land/water usage. The world could then
evolve to exhibit more human influences, including the built environment.
Species' poulation levels could change depending on food and habitat
availability. The human population level would also change, and catastrophic
events affecting all animal populations could occur.
The end result of
this is an installation which can be intersting to all types of people.
It will be both entertaining and mentally stimulating. It will evolve
and create many ways to experience virtual life. Ultimately, it will
bring us to a place where we can experience altered perceptions.
