No further developments in the entertainment world concerning virtual reality are evident on the horizon, with the likes of Sony and Microsoft firmly focused on the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and whilst the latter takes its name from the notion that one is fully immersed and surrounded by game-play, Microsoft applies metaphorical, not literal notions in this case.
The days of the James Bond “Die Another Day” VR Training system or the Star Trek “Holodeck” would seem to remain distant, however there is evidence that virtual reality is finding applications not previously envisioned. Canada-based organization Digital Mediaworks are using virtual reality for research and therapeutic applications such as assessing the attention span of children afflicted with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder using a virtual classroom environment. More detailed information on this area can be found on the Digital Mediaworks website at www.dmw.ca.
It is clear that whist present day computer entertainment seeks to recreate reality in the photorealistic sense, therapeutic applications of virtual reality would do well to pay close attention to the psychological impact of different colours. Those working with virtual reality need to have a thorough understanding of the visual properties of coloured light and coloured surfaces, and particularly of three illusory colour phenomena:
1) The illusion of certain colours appearing to advance and others to recede brought by high and low frequencies of vibration.
2) The Doppler effect. In astronomy stars coming towards one may turn blue or green and those moving away are likely to look red.
3) Emotive effects may be changed according to coloration.
Bibliography
WOOLLEY, B. (1993) Virtual Worlds. London: Blackwell.
RHEINGOLD, H. (1993) Virtual Reality. London: Mandarin.
“PlayStation” is a Registered Trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
“XBOX” is a Registered Trademark of Microsoft Corp.
“James Bond” and “Die Another Day” are Registered Trademarks of Danjaq Inc.
“Star Trek” is a Registered Trademark of Paramount Pictures Corporation.
