How about a little light VR/AR reading for the weekend? Virtual Perceptions’ Tom Ffiske just launched a new book.
The Immersive Reality Revolution sets out to explain “How virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) will revolutionise the world”. It aims to introduce people to the increasingly complicated world of immersive reality, with all of its various terms, and analyze the different ways in which it’s being utilized.
Topics in the 106-page book include the tech’s use in education, movies and employee training, as well as the prospect of AR glasses and, towards the end, the ethics of both VR and AR.
“My motivation for this book comes in two parts,” Ffiske told me over email. “One, I have covered the industry since 2016 and have collected a bundle of opinions, views, and stories over that time. I’ve come across independent developers who are pushing the boundaries of storytelling. I’ve met art curators who see it as a new art form. I’ve seen companies use the technology as a gimmick, to activate the launch of a whiskey brand when it could have gone elsewhere. The book is a collection of my thoughts and insights on it all.”
Ffiske’s second motivation for writing the book, however, is sourced around a “frustration” with frequent misunderstandings about the nature of these technologies. “I’ve read the torrent of inaccurate articles about ‘when’ VR will go mainstream, or the misdirection that goes on in LinkedIn, and I had enough,” he said. “The industry deserves better reporting, with an honest view of what is happening.”
But, as much as the book is concerned with championing the industry, it also aims to issue a word of caution. “We are entering a new stage where we are investing and using VR and AR, without yet properly considering the impact it will have on people,” Ffiske adds. “How will social interactions change when people wear AR glasses? Can scientists use VR for experiments on patients, or should there be certain rules? While tech companies investigate how we can communicate with our minds, what regulations should we place on them?”
You can get the book via Kindle or paperback from Amazon.
