Next New

A new type of “new media” that currently doesn’t exist but would be interesting to have would be combining virtual worlds with communication channels. Virtual Reality (VR) technology has been around for decades, but companies are not utilizing the technology to its fullest potential. The idea behind VR technology is to simulate the environment of the user so it seems as if they were physically at the location projected. There will not only be the visual simulation, but there will also be a sound simulation. At the same time, users are using virtual worlds to communicate with their friends in games like Minecraft, in order to spend more time with their friends and strengthen the bond. A new type of media would be to combine games like Minecraft with VR technology. Minecraft is popular among individuals across all generations and by combining that with VR, it creates a new sensation. Not only will the game be visually-simulating, it will also be noise and sound simulating. Individuals that use this special feature will be able to see their friends within the virtual world and they can work together to complete missions. A shortcoming I see with this is connection. The players may need to be within a certain range for the VR technology to work. However, with the direction technology is heading towards, being able to play video games and computer games with VR technology in two different areas of the world doesn’t seem too far away. Both technologies already exist and it comes down to combining the two.