There is a new television series pilot called Caprica that takes an intriquing look at cyberspace, its potential and pitfalls as a science fiction concept closely paralleling current online virtual reality developments. Within this virtual community, populated by perhaps 100,000 people at any given moment some of the ideas presented in this pilot have already been explored and discussed among the populous of these various worlds. Whether it is from within the interactive gaming worlds of EVE or Warcraft or the more persona driven world of Second Life or the spacey diversity of over 700 worlds in the Active Worlds Universe, people are indeed exploring 3D cyberspace possibilities.

Unlike the days of Jules Verne when science fiction came up with ideas many years in advance of technological advancements, there is a much shorter lag time today between the idea and its conceptualiztion in some form or another through the use of computers. While 3D virtual worlds are still primarily a 2D screen or headset experience, the people who are living vicariously within them have one thing in common; they all see their virtual lives through a suspension of disbelief, a prerequisite to almost any immersive experience. Whether you surrender to the rich text-based reality presented by an author in a book or find yourself immersed in the multi-faceted plot of a virtual reality theme world it is a fact that human beings have the imagination to enter into an escapist respite from the so-called real world.

Individually we all have a different quest to discover for ourselves what our limits are, where the bounds of our personal growth can go and how much we can explore the depths of our imagination, sensuality and inner callings. How far we take a particular train of thought can often be unduly regulated and pre-conditioned by our upbringing, religious views or personal circumstances. It is no accident that the counter-balance to repressive elements within ourselves and our daily lives is often contrasted in the nature of our chosen entertainment. Afterall, books and all media allow people an internal personal exploration of a wide range of vicarious experiences from a safe perspective, all the while maintaining the comfortable notion that it is only a movie, a book or as we are seeing now, a roleplay within a computer generated virtual world.

The world of imagination and dreams landscaped inside interactive virtual realities provide an ideal environment, protected spheres if you will for personal self-expression and exploration. At times these experiences can go quite beyond what may be possible within the confines of a local culture or social milieu because these worlds are invariably made up of populations which are cross-cultural and global in nature.

Where this can all lead may be to a new paradigm on what it means to communicate more freely. Consider relations free of those initial and superficial, first impressions of race, religion, social status or a particular handicap. Ones life experience may more easily relate inside one world in contrast to another and perhaps even another or another, not unlike preferences among completely different story lines in a series of books or movies.

The difference of course and the real challenge on the virtual frontier is the interactivity with everyone participating and providing part of the plot development that move the experience along. It can be quite involving and stretches the multi-tasking capabilities of the human psyche but as people explore these brave new worlds they can learn over time to keep these spheres distinct and separate, in a sense compartmentalizing their roles much as they always have in their daily lives between job personas and being oneself at home. To the degree that one sphere does not intrude upon another there is human potential for a novel multi-faceted existence which can lead to an augmented life experience like no other.

I highly recommend the pilot release of the upcoming television series Caprica coming out in 2010 and now available at your local video store. The ideas presented are a little extreme but paradoxically they lag and foreshadow what is actually happening right now online, a movement that is expontially growing and evolving towards the next phase of our existential awareness.

Paul Marcano
AKA Artist3d