In this age of DNA computers and artificial intelligence, information is becoming disembodied even as the "bodies" that once carried it vanish into virtuality. While some marvel at these changes, envisioning consciousness downloaded into a computer or humans "beamed" "Star Trek"-style, others view them with horror, seeing monsters brooding in the machines. In "How We Became Posthuman," N. Katherine Hayles separates hype from fact, investigating the fate of embodiment in an information age.
Hayles relates three interwoven stories: how information lost its body, that is, how it came to be conceptualized as an entity separate from the material forms that carry it; the cultural and technological construction of the cyborg; and the dismantling of the liberal humanist "subject" in cybernetic discourse, along with the emergence of the "posthuman."
Ranging widely across the history of technology, cultural studies, and literary criticism, Hayles shows what had to be erased, forgotten, and elided to conceive of information as a disembodied entity. Thus she moves from the post-World War II Macy Conferences on cybernetics to the 1952 novel "Limbo" by cybernetics aficionado Bernard Wolfe; from the concept of self-making to Philip K. Dick's literary explorations of hallucination and reality; and from artificial life to postmodern novels exploring the implications of seeing humans as cybernetic systems.
Although becoming posthuman can be nightmarish, Hayles shows how it can also be liberating. From the birth of cybernetics to artificial life, "How We Became Posthuman" provides an indispensable account of how we arrived in our virtual age, and of where we might go from here.

Virtual Reality Filmmaking presents a comprehensive guide to the use of virtual reality in filmmaking, including narrative, documentary, live event production, and more. Written by Celine Tricart, a filmmaker and an expert in new technologies, the book provides a hands-on guide to creative filmmaking in this exciting new medium, and includes coverage on how to make a film in VR from start to finish. Topics covered include: The history of VR; VR cameras; Game engines and interactive VR; The foundations of VR storytelling; Techniques for shooting in live action VR; VR postproduction and visual effects; VR distribution; Interviews with experts in the field including the Emmy-winning studios Felix & Paul and Oculus Story Studio, Wevr, Viacom, Fox Sports, Sundance's New Frontier, and more.

This book constitutes late breaking papers from the 22nd International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2020, which was held in July 2020. The conference was planned to take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, but had to change to a virtual conference mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic.From a total of 6326 submissions, a total of 1439 papers and 238 posters have been accepted for publication in the HCII 2020 proceedings before the conference took place. In addition, a total of 333 papers and 144 posters are included in the volumes of the proceedings published after the conference as "Late Breaking Work" (papers and posters). These contributions address the latest research and development efforts in the field and highlight the human aspects of design and use of computing systems. The 34 late breaking papers presented in this volume were organized in two topical sections named: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Design and Implementation; and User Experience in Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality.

As virtual reality approaches mainstream consumer use, a vibrant development ecosystem has emerged in the past few years. This hands-on guide takes you through VR development essentials for desktop, mobile, and browser-based applications. You'll explore the three go-to platforms-OculusVR, Gear VR, and Cardboard VR-as well as several VR development environments, programming tools, and techniques. If you're an experienced programmer familiar with mobile development, this book will help you gain a working knowledge of VR development through clear and simple examples. Once you create a complete application in the final chapter, you'll have a jumpstart on the next major entertainment medium. Learn VR basics for UI design, 3D graphics, and stereo rendering Explore Unity3D, the current development choice among game engines Create native applications for desktop computers with the Oculus Rift Develop mobile applications for Samsung's Gear VR with the Android and Oculus Mobile SDKs Build browser-based applications with the WebVR Javascript API and WebGL Create simple and affordable mobile apps for any smartphone with Google's Cardboard VR Bring everything together to build a 360-degree panoramic photo viewer

The 2 volume-set of LNCS 12190 and 12191 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, VAMR 2020, which was due to be held in July 2020 as part of HCI International 2020 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1439 papers and 238 posters have been accepted for publication in the HCII 2020 proceedings from a total of 6326 submissions. The 71 papers included in these HCI 2020 proceedings were organized in topical sections as follows: Part I: design and user experience in VAMR; gestures and haptic interaction in VAMR; cognitive, psychological and health aspects in VAMR; robots in VAMR. Part II: VAMR for training, guidance and assistance in industry and business; learning, narrative, storytelling and cultural applications of VAMR; VAMR for health, well-being and medicine.

With the advent of consumer-market Virtual Reality (VR) technology, the next revolution in visual entertainment is already on the horizon: real VR will enable us to experience live-action movies, sports broadcasts, concert videos, etc. in true visual (and aural) immersion. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the algorithms and methods that make it possible to immerse into real-world recordings. It brings together the expertise of internationally renowned experts from academia and industry who present the state of the art in this fascinating, interdisciplinary new research field. Written by and for scientists, engineers, and practitioners, this book is the definitive reference for anyone interested in finding out about how to import the real world into head-mounted displays.

This two-volume set LNCS 11574 and 11575 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, VAMR 2019, held in July 2019 as part of HCI International 2019 in Orlando, FL, USA. HCII 2019 received a total of 5029 submissions, of which 1275 papers and 209 posters were accepted for publication after a careful reviewing process. The 80 papers presented in this volume were organized in topical sections named: multimodal interaction in VR, rendering, layout, visualization and navigation, avatars, embodiment and empathy in VAMR, cognitive and health issues in VAMR, VAMR and robots, VAMR in learning, training and entertainment, VAMR in aviation, industry and the military.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, EuroVR 2018, held in London, UK, in October 2018. The 9 full papers and 6 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 39 submissions. The papers are organized in 5topical sections: vision-based motion tracking; 3D acquisition and 3D reconstruction; haptics and 3D audio; perception and cognition; interactive techniques and use-case studies.

An addictive thriller from the most sensational new voice in YA fiction. When sixteen-year-old Asha Kennedy discovers her older sister Maya's dead body in their home, her world falls apart. Desperate for answers, and to stay out of the hands of the social services she grew up in, Asha turns to her hacker friends for help. Her search leads her to Zu Tech, the hit games studio where Maya was a lead coder. As Asha begins to unravel the riddle of her death, she realises that the only way to uncover the truth is from the inside. Asha ghosts her old life and infiltrates a Zu Tech eSport tournament as they launch 'SHACKLE', the revolutionary Virtual Reality video game Maya was working on - and which hides a monstrous secret... Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder A guaranteed page turner full of heart, tension and twists you won't see coming! The first book in a major new YA series

The word "wargames" might seem like a contradiction in terms. After all, the declaration "This is war" is meant to signal that things have turned deadly serious, that there is no more playing around. Yet the practices of war are intimately entangled with practices of gaming, from military videogames to live battle reenactments. How do these forms of play impact how both soldiers and civilians perceive acts of war? This Quick Take considers how various war games and simulations shape the ways we imagine war. Paradoxically, these games grant us a sense of mastery and control as we strategize and scrutinize the enemy, yet also allow us the thrilling sense of being immersed in the carnage and chaos of battle. But as simulations of war become more integrated into both popular culture and military practice, how do they shape our apprehension of the traumatic realities of warfare? Covering everything from chess to football, from Saving Private Ryan to American Sniper, and from Call of Duty to drone interfaces, War Games is an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand the militarization of American culture, offering a compact yet comprehensive look at how we play with images of war.

Over 90% of children and adolescents play electronic or computerized games, and 25% play for three hours a day or even longer. Although some degree of video game playing is normal, excessive playing can negatively impact schoolwork, kids' social lives, and even their health. Pause and Reset is aimed at parents concerned about the role of gaming in their children's lives. In this informative, reader-friendly book, addiction expert Dr. Nancy Petry sheds light on what constitutes problematic video gaming and what does not, how to determine whether a child, adolescent or young adult may be "addicted" to gaming or developing problems with it, and when to seek professional help. Setting this book apart from others on the subject, the author also provides accessible explanations of the latest science behind how gaming addiction impacts children, adolescents, and families; she also explores the question of whether gaming may have positive effects in certain situations. Finally, Dr. Petry offers three simple, easy-to-implement steps parents can take to reduce and reverse the harmful effects of gaming: Record, Replace, and Reward. Pause and Reset also provides exercises and worksheets to support parents' efforts to help their kids.

As the Allies advance towards Germany, they face dogged resistance from the hard-pressed German forces. Take command of the Allies in their final push to end the war in Europe, or hold fast as the German defenders as the fight is brought to your door. This new Campaign Book for Bolt Action offers new linked scenarios, rules, troop types and Theatre Selectors, and provides plenty of options for novice and veteran players alike.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, IVA 2016, held in Los Angeles, CA, USA, in September 2016. The 12 full papers, 18 short papers, and 37 demo and poster papers accepted were carefully reviewed and selected from 81 submissions. IVA 2016 also includes three workshops: Workshop on Chatbots and Conversational Agents (WOCHAT), Can you feel me now? Creating Physiologically Aware Virtual Agents (PAVA), and Graphical and Robotic Embodied Agents for Therapeutic Systems, GREATS16. Intelligent Virtual Aspects (IVAs) are intelligent digital interactive characters that can communicate with humans and other agents using natural human modalities such as facial expressions, speech, gestures, and movement. They are capable of real-time perception, cognition, emotion and action that allow them to participate in dynamic social environments. Constructing and studying IVAs requires tools from a wide range of fields such as computer science, psychology, cognitive science, communication, linguistics, interactive media, human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence.

Automating technologies threaten to usher in a workless future. But this can be a good thing-if we play our cards right. Human obsolescence is imminent. The factories of the future will be dark, staffed by armies of tireless robots. The hospitals of the future will have fewer doctors, depending instead on cloud-based AI to diagnose patients and recommend treatments. The homes of the future will anticipate our wants and needs and provide all the entertainment, food, and distraction we could ever desire. To many, this is a depressing prognosis, an image of civilization replaced by its machines. But what if an automated future is something to be welcomed rather than feared? Work is a source of misery and oppression for most people, so shouldn't we do what we can to hasten its demise? Automation and Utopia makes the case for a world in which, free from need or want, we can spend our time inventing and playing games and exploring virtual realities that are more deeply engaging and absorbing than any we have experienced before, allowing us to achieve idealized forms of human flourishing. The idea that we should "give up" and retreat to the virtual may seem shocking, even distasteful. But John Danaher urges us to embrace the possibilities of this new existence. The rise of automating technologies presents a utopian moment for humankind, providing both the motive and the means to build a better future.

This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on HCI in Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, VAMR 2016, held as part of the 18th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2016, which took place in Toronto, Canada, in July 2016. HCII 2016 received a total of 4354 submissions, of which 1287 papers were accepted for publication after a careful reviewing process. The 70 papers presented in this volume are organized in topical sections named: Usability, User Experience and Design in VAMR, Perception, Cognition, Psychology and Behaviour in VAMR, Multimodal Interaction in VAMR, Novel Devices and Technologies in VAMR, VAMR Applications in Aviation, Space and the Military, Medicine, Health and Well-Being Applications of VAMR, VAMR in Industry, Design and Engineering, Novel Virtual Environments.

This book is a timely review of the various optical architectures, display technologies, and building blocks for modern consumer, enterprise, and defense head-mounted displays for various applications, including smart glasses, smart eyewear, and virtual-reality, augmented-reality, and mixed-reality headsets. Special attention is paid to the facets of the human perception system and the need for a human-centric optical design process that allows for the most comfortable headset that does not compromise the user's experience. Major challenges--from wearability and visual comfort to sensory and display immersion--must be overcome to meet market analyst expectations, and the book reviews the most appropriate optical technologies to address such challenges, as well as the latest product implementations.

Reality isn't what is used to be. As the world moves increasingly from the real to the virtual, the question emerges, who do we want to be as humans? The amount of time spent on devices is taking more of our time from the real world as we 'fast forward' to the virtual future. As we transform our work, play, living, education, and retail lifestyle, so too must architecture react and redefine the very nature of our public and private spaces. The challenge of our time is to learn to navigate INBetween these multiple realities on the spectrum between the real and the virtual world. As we progressively accept the technological advances in medicine that enhance our bodies, society will also begin to accept moving into the experiential, three-dimensional space of the virtual METAVERSE. This book presents a three-year exploration, research, and case studies for expanding the tools of architecture for creating within this new reality for Living + Dying INBetween the Real and the Virtual World.

A surprising assessment of the ways that virtual worlds are entangled with human psychology Proteus, the mythical sea god who could alter his appearance at will, embodies one of the promises of online games: the ability to reinvent oneself. Yet inhabitants of virtual worlds rarely achieve this liberty, game researcher Nick Yee contends. Though online games evoke freedom and escapism, Yee shows that virtual spaces perpetuate social norms and stereotypes from the offline world, transform play into labor, and inspire racial scapegoating and superstitious thinking. And the change that does occur is often out of our control and effected by unparalleled-but rarely recognized-tools for controlling what players think and how they behave. Using player surveys, psychological experiments, and in-game data, Yee breaks down misconceptions about who plays fantasy games and the extent to which the online and offline worlds operate separately. With a wealth of entertaining and provocative examples, he explains what virtual worlds are about and why they matter, not only for entertainment but also for business and education. He uses gaming as a lens through which to examine the pressing question of what it means to be human in a digital world. His thought-provoking book is an invitation to think more deeply about virtual worlds and what they reveal to us about ourselves.

Biological and machine systems exist within a complex and changing three-dimensional world. We appear to have no difficulty understanding this world, but how do we go about forming a perceptual model of it? Centred around three key themes: depth processing and stereopsis; motion and navigation in 3D; and natural scene perception, this volume explores the latest cutting-edge research into the perception of three dimension environments. It features contributions from top researchers in the field, presenting both biological and computational perspectives. Topics covered include binocular perception; blur and perceived depth; stereoscopic motion in depth; and perceiving and remembering the shape of visual space. This unique book will provide students and researchers with an overview of ongoing research as well as perspectives on future developments in the field. Colour versions of a selection of the figures are available at www.cambridge.org/9781107001756.

This book explains how to plan and build a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a collection of technologies that creates secure connections or "tunnels" over regular Internet lines. It discusses costs, configuration, and how to install and use VPN technologies that are available for Windows NT and Unix, such as PPTP and L2TP, Altavista Tunnel, Cisco PIX, and the secure shell (SSH). New features in the second edition include SSH and an expanded description of the IPSec standard.

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this (book).

For more than 30 years, The Legend of Zelda—which immerses players in a courageous struggle against the shadowy forces of evil in a world of high fantasy—has spanned more than 30 different installments, selling over 75 million copies. Today, it is one of the most beloved video game franchises around the globe.

Video game sales as a whole have continued to grow, now raking in twice as much money per year as the entire film industry, and countless psychologists have turned their attention to the effects gaming has on us: our confidence, our identity, and our personal growth. The Psychology of Zelda applies the latest psychological findings, plus insights from classic psychology theory, to Link, Zelda, Hyrule, and the players who choose to wield the Master Sword.

In The Psychology of Zelda, psychologists who love the games ask:

- How do Link’s battles in Ocarina of Time against Dark Link, his monstrous doppelganger, mirror the difficulty of confronting our personal demons and the tendency to be our own worst enemies?

- What lessons about pursuing life’s greater meaning can we take away from Link’s quests through Hyrule and beyond the stereotypical video game scenario of rescuing a Princess (Zelda)?

- What do we experience as players when we hear that familiar royal lullaby on the ocarina, Saria’s spirited melody in the Lost Woods, or the iconic main theme on the title screen?

- How do the obstacles throughout Majora’s Mask represent the Five Stages of Grief?

- What can Link’s journey to overcome the loss of the fairy Navi teach us about understanding our own grief and depression?

- Why are we psychologically drawn to the game each and every time a new version becomes available even when they all have a similar storyline?

Think you’ve completed the quest? The Psychology of Zelda gives you new, thrilling dungeons to explore and even more puzzles to solve.

This sweeping introduction to the science of virtual environment technology masterfully integrates research and practical applications culled from a range of disciplines, including psychology, engineering, and computer science. With contributions from the field's foremost researchers and theorists, the book focuses in particular on how virtual technology and interface design can better accommodate human cognitive, motor, and perceptual capabilities. Throughout, it brings the reader up-to-date with the latest design strategies and cutting-edge virtual environments, and points to promising avenues for future development. The book is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the reader to the subject by defining basic terms, identifying key components of the virtual environment, and reviewing the origins and elements of virtual environments. The second part focuses of current technologies used to present visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic information. The book concludes with an in-depth analysis of how environments and human perception are integrated to create effective virtual systems. Comprehensive and splendidly written, Virtual Environmentsand Advanced Interface Design will be the "bible" on the subject for years to come. Students and researchers in computer science, psychology, and cognitive science will all want to have a copy on their shelves.

Research on multi-agent systems has provided a promising technology for implementing cognitive intelligent non-playing characters. However, the technologies used in game engines and multi-agent platforms are not readily compatible due to some inherent differences in concerns. Where game engines focus on real-time aspects and thus propagate efficiency and central control, multi-agent platforms assume autonomy of the agents. Increased autonomy and intelligence may offer benefits for a more compelling gameplay and may even be necessary for serious games. However, problems occur when current game design techniques are used to incorporate state-of-the-art multi-agent system technology. A very similar argument can be given for agent-based (social) simulation.

This volume contains the papers presented at AGS 2009, the First International Workshop on Agents for Games and Simulations, held in Budapest on May 11, 2009. The focus of the workshop was on the particular challenges facing those using agent technology for games and simulations, with topics covering the technical, conceptual and design aspects of the field.