Virtual Reality: the terms you need to know
I'm sitting down with Nina Jane Patel today - here's some terms that might be useful to know first!
EXPLANATIONS OF KEY TERMS:
Metaverse: Imagine an internet you can walk around in, like a giant video game world where you can socialize, work, and play. It’s a blend of virtual reality (VR) and our physical reality, connected online.
Virtual Reality (VR): This is a technology that lets you step into a computer-generated 3D world using a headset - think the Meta Quest and other similar technologies. You can look around and interact with the environment as if you were really there.
Augmented Reality (AR): Unlike VR, AR adds digital elements to the real world. Think of Pokémon Go, where creatures pop up on your phone's screen as if they're in your actual surroundings or the latest Apple headset.
Extended Reality (XR): Extended Reality is an umbrella term that covers all the different types of digital realities. It includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). XR refers to any technology that changes our perception of the world by adding digital elements to our physical environment, fully immersing us in a virtual one, or blending the two. Essentially, it’s about extending our experience of reality using digital tools and technologies.
Immersion: This is when you feel completely absorbed in a virtual environment, like when you're playing a video game and forget about the real world. The more immersive the experience, the more it feels like you're actually inside the virtual space.
Presence: Presence is the feeling of actually being "there" in the virtual world. It's the sensation that the virtual environment is real, even though you know it isn’t.
Embodiment: Embodiment refers to feeling like the virtual body you control (your avatar) is actually yours. It’s the sense that your virtual actions are just as real as if you were doing them in the physical world.
Digital Economy: In the metaverse, there’s an economy where people buy and sell virtual goods and services, often using cryptocurrency (digital money) instead of real-world cash.
Digital Avatars: These are your characters or representations in the metaverse. An avatar could look like you or anything you choose, and it moves around and interacts in virtual spaces for you.
Blockchain and NFTs: Blockchain is like a super-secure digital ledger that records transactions. NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are one-of-a-kind digital items, like art or music, that you can buy or sell in the metaverse.
Interoperability: This means different virtual worlds and platforms can connect. So, your avatar or items could be used across multiple metaverse environments, not just one.
Sideloading: Sideloading is the process of installing apps or files onto a device from an external source, rather than downloading them through the device’s official app store or marketplace. For example, if you download an app from a website and then manually transfer it to your smartphone, that's sideloading. It's common in cases where apps aren’t available through official channels, but it can also pose security risks, as the apps haven’t been vetted by the official store’s safeguards.
User-Generated Content (UGC): This refers to any content—such as videos, photos, reviews, blog posts, or social media updates—created and shared by regular users rather than by companies or professionals. For example, when you post a video on YouTube, write a review on Amazon, or share a photo on Instagram, you're creating user-generated content.
