Preface
Before I dive deep into the elements of “immersive design”, I want to share some fine print.
The tools, notes, and observations I describe in these paragraphs are my personal thoughts and research— just that. I’m neither a professor nor sociology expert, but I’m fascinated by human experience. Take what you will from my ramblings, but please remember that the immersive medium is still relatively new, and there’s plenty left to discover.
This ‘reader’ is not a rigid set of rules. Not even guidelines. They are observations, based upon the study of varied arts and disciplines. Does that make them more correct than other techniques? Absolutely not! Bend the rules. Break them. We are entering a time when reality itself can be your plaything, so take these words with a hefty handful of salt.
However, for those of you who want a journey with me into the study of the Immersive, climb aboard. There’s much to discuss. But first, some clarification:
Yet Another ‘Reality’ Term
I’m going to perform some sacrilege in the next few paragraphs, so please bear with me. We need to clear up some terminology when I refer to Immersive Design crafted in part with technology.
(As of this writing) we live in a time when Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are approaching household terms. A growing number of modern citizens have heard of VR or used AR in some capacity, and the numbers continue to climb for both. I’m not here to argue which is better, which will prevail, or which is “dead.” I’m here to categorize all of the terms under a unifying banner so that we can discuss the techniques used in each of them.
Virtual Reality in the modern technical sense was coined by Jaron Lanier in 1989 while at VPL, and Augmented Reality by Tom Caudell/David Mizell at Boeing in 1990. However the original phrasing of “Virtual Reality” stems its origins to Antonin Artaud, a French playwright who described theater as a mimicry of reality. His essays in 1938 (and translated in 1958) address the Theater of Cruelty: the omnipresent bombardment of audience senses in ways which neither words nor masks could describe.
Without entering a historical rabbit hole, let’s concede that the idea of ‘Virtual Reality’ existed prior to the technology required to achieve it. ‘Augmented Reality’ is attributed to the virtual, and any subsequent ‘realities’ stem from the same concept. However, they are currently different in execution. Modern VR is the removal and replacement of stimulus, while AR/MR are supplementary to current real stimulus.
That being said, the name we need for these technologies must be more encompassing. As the lines between Virtual and Augmented blur over the next 20 years, we need to categorize them together. No, Mixed Reality isn’t that term, but it too belongs under this blanket. Instead, any technology whose purpose is to alter reality in some fashion should be considered Realitative.
Re·al·i·ta·tive (adj.) /rēˈaləˌtādiv/ :
1) Of, relating to, or marked by reality.
2) Capable of the state of being real.
The commonality between these types of immersive platforms is their central goal to replicate, create, enhance, or mimic reality— regardless of how advanced human-centered technology becomes or the methods employed.
Why am I making another term, don’t we have enough? Yes and no. It’s a categorization problem. Things that are immersive can vary dramatically, often found in far more than realitative technology: theater, art, games, books, installations, multimedia and plenty of other expressions. To be immersive implies a participant willingly acknowledges and enters a state separate from that which is real or normal (this can be associated with Johan Huizinga’s Magic Circle, which we’ll get to later). VR, AR, and MR exist amongst these platforms, but they do not need to be entirely distinct (the way theater, games, and film are generally distinct from one another). They can be lumped together as reality-based frameworks: Realitative Platforms.
You can’t coin another term! We have too many. That’s true. I don’t want any more. But I needed a way to group platforms together and juxtapose methodology. I’m not asking for the industry to adopt a new way of defining itself for investment buzz— this is an academic categorization. It’s not nearly as sexy as XR, but serves a larger purpose.
But what about XR? What about Spatial Computing?
XR (eXtended Reality) is a great blanket acronym for VR & AR. However, I would argue that isn’t quite enough. Realitative Platforms should include Immersive Theater, ARGs, and Escape Rooms— constructs not strictly reliant on displays of any kind. These types of immersive content don’t fall under the banner of XR or Spatial Computing, although they may employ those technologies. Spatial Computing on its own limits itself to technology as a background or requirement, which alienates it from inherently immersive spaces (e.g. Disney World, Sleep No More) that rely rather on architecture, production design, and actors to immerse an audience.
So what separates traditional media of art, film/tv, and games from immersive or realitative media? Not much. Each artistic discipline leaves its mark on immersive work; each strategy used by media and design can play an integral part in immersivity. I would argue that every form of human expression brings something to immersive and realitative platforms. These expressions are internalized by the user/player/participant in different ways that correlate to human senses: Sight, Sound, Savor, Somatosensation, and Social Interaction.
I understand that human body response is typically broken into different five physical human senses, and the most prominent are classically characterized as Sight (vision), Hearing (audition), Taste (gustation), Touch (mechanoreception), and Smell (olfaction). The reasons I’ve adapted these senses are threefold:
First, I combine the already-linked Taste and Smell into Savor: the perception of flavor via ingestion by nose or mouth. I also merge Touch, Haptics, and Proprioception into physical Somatosensory functions.
Second, This leaves room for another sense that is incredibly important: Social Interaction. Unlike many other mediums, the social behaviors and connections between an audience, their world, and each other, play an integral part in design.
Third, I’m thoroughly thrilled by alliteration. It helps with memory.
Through the progression of this reader, I hope to break down the techniques used by various creators to play on these five senses and create powerful immersion. The balances and weights of each sense can offer various experiences that are both powerful and evocative, and I believe each technique offers a better understanding of the evolution of compelling immersive design.
Let’s get started!