November 6- Discussion Questions (Julia)
1) While reading, I thought of plenty of examples of how VR & AR are creating experiences for us that mimic and resemble ones in which we have to be physically present. For instance, The Lockdown, is an immersive experience listed on Lance Weiler’s article titled 20 Immersive Things. It is described as a new AR-based app, offering the world’s first mobile escape room. In other words, you can play the game whenever, wherever as long as you have your smartphone. I was even thinking about hologram technology changing the future of music performance, and festivals/concerts also becoming virtual worlds through VR and AR technology.
Q: Do you think real/physically present experiences are slowly being taken over by technology such as VR and AR? Do you think it is a possibility in the future that we may no longer be able to experience something physically and solely through AR and VR immersive technologies?
2) Q:What do you think makes an immersive experience and/or story successful? Have you ever experienced one in which you did not feel immersed or where it was not as believable as expected?
3) In interactive performances, audiences are increasingly asked to be participants or collaborators; to take part, sometimes to follow instructions, and occasionally even to have agency. In this sense, we are no longer passive spectators but part of the show, story, and overall experience.
Q: Do you prefer passive watching or this extremely immersive, interactive watching? Do you think immersive theatre/performance is the future of storytelling and future of cinema?
4) Q: By immersing audiences within the performance/story itself, do you think this takes away from ordinary/passive viewership? In other words, does granting a viewer the power to take part and make narrative decisions detract and take away from their overall viewing experience?