The chapter shows the evolution of virtual reality interfaces and technologies to the current moment and verifies what led them to an alleged decline in early 1990. Due to the development of the industry of digital games, new forms of interaction have being researched and presented to the public. It will also be shown the application of virtual reality in different contexts of digital games, in addition to reporting a brief experience of the research group in art, science and technology, Lab|Front (Laboratório de Poéticas Fronteiriças - CNPq/UEMG).
Top1. Introduction
This chapter presents a brief history of development and technological advances in virtual reality (VR) up to this moment which seems to be expanding. Due to advances in research and development of the game industry, virtual reality and its immersion technologies appear to be growing. In the 1990s, this technology promised to be a trend, but high production costs have limited their use and interest to only specific scientific communities.
Between 1990 and the middle of the first decade of this century, other forms of interaction and languages have been explored due to increasing Internet access and dissipation of data in virtual networks. The interests in VR have decreased more and more, as well as the attention of researchers and scientific centers to handle the subject. However, it is important to emphasize that innovation efforts as well as the varied interests, not ceased altogether. This is something that this chapter aims to demonstrate to the exposure of continuous events in a “story of the VR”.
Current research in virtual reality area is realigning its focus to the development and growth of the area, mainly for the prospects of creating videogames with higher levels of realism, new technologies and immersion artifacts.
In this chapter, we present in the third section some of the experiences of the Laboratory of Front Poetics (Lab|Front) with virtual reality. The two experiments are a different use of virtual reality as expected primarily by industry: whether in the world of digital games (see Playstation VR or VR Samsung, for example); or in exploration of social experiences applications.
One is the development of an interactive art installation that aims to “imprison the look” of the interactor as an investigative attempt to immersion in virtual reality and the other is a curatorial experiment in virtual reality, where we simulate the art gallery of the Guignard School from the University of the State of Minas Gerias in order to propose an excercise of art work curatorship.
After the report of the two experiments it will be possible to envisage other uses of virtual reality that signal virtual reality uses in a continuous and expanding way at least since the 1990s.