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One of the most exciting additions to this generation of Grand Theft Auto has been first person mode, which has opened up a whole new way of playing the anarchy simulator. However some didn't stop there, with the likes of Virtuix Omni showcasing the new GTA in virtual reality using a DK2 and its Omni treadmill and it looks wonderfully real. Unfortunately though we see him gunning down unarmed civilians and it seems only inevitable that videos like this will reignite scare-mongering about video games and VR in particular.
As cool as it is, this did make me feel a little uncomfortable
The video in question shows a player running around – somewhat awkwardly – San Andreas, using his real world feet for in-game propulsion and cradling a plastic gun that translates into a much more lifelike one in-game. When pressed by a store owner, he guns him down in a somewhat disturbing fashion, though perhaps it's the blank, non-eyed face of a VR user that makes it more chilling. [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZEnjwUqc4M']
Fortunately I'm a life-long gamer so don't find it too difficult to separate the virtual from reality, just as I'm not really that bothered by Hatred as a game. It is after all, just a game. However I can't help but feel that this is one step closer to the VR-murder-sim that the news loves to paint games like GTA as and once this video gains enough traction it's going to be used as ammo in an anti-gamers-gun. Ironically.
While I think a company like Omni might have been better off showcasing other aspects of the game – at the very least shooting against people that could arguably be considered the bad guys – anti-VR sentiment is something that we will be set to encounter at some point, whether this trailer sparks the keg or not. Just be ready for the headlines, as I get the feeling they aren't far away.
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KitGuru Says: What's the best anti-VR news headline you can come up with? I'll start: “Virtual reality may not be so virtual in the minds of today's children, as contemporary games become true to scale murder simulators. More on that, after this.”
GTA V is Los Santos not San Andreas 😉
Los Santos is a major city located in southern San Andreas in Grand Theft Auto V
Today I did a learn 🙂
#themoreyouknow
Yeah a little bit crazyness. but no reason to hate it then
It’s not about the news per se. Research has shown that violence in videogames is completely unproblematic, even if the violence looks realistic, because there is a conceptual difference between using a controller trigger and an actual trigger. The effects of games are identical to those of movies. However, research also indicates that the more immersive a game becomes, particularly through the use of actual gunlike controllers, the more cognitively aggressive people become (note that cognitive aggression is not the same as actual aggression or even violence).
So in this case, they might have somewhat of a fair point, because it doesn’t get much more immersive than what we see here. Whether that leads to more violence, that is very much unclear, and there is as of yet no evidence to suggest that it will (and there might never be any). But just because you and I – and nearly everyone else – have so far been able to deal with fiction and reality rather unproblematically, it will not always be the same for everyone.
One thing that seems to be quite clear, is that by using realistic controllers, it becomes easier to do it in real life. That is, it can serve training purposes. Again, that is not the same as saying that people will go out to go on a killing spree after playing, or become more violent in any way. But excluding the possibility, because situations that are very different lead to a certain result, is just as wrong as arguing that games must lead to violence, because there is a correlation between violent people and playing violent videogames.
I remember seeing that Omni thing pitched on Shark Tank. Guy wanted a 20 million dollar investment and got laughed at.
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Stifling the enjoyment for the rest of us because one asshole that was probably already likely to go around shooting people is just plain stupid.
Then it’s just as well that nobody is proposing that here.
Biggest problem I see with this, is the gun isn’t independant from the view.. But I may be mistaken..
I hope you don’t mind me saying, and I’m not trying to cause offence , just being honest, but I usually find the articles here lacking something, a bit like copy/paste ‘borrowed’ news.
But this article is different. It has an opinion I can agree with.
More like this please.
I think it’s an awesome idea, me having a military background as an Infantryman and all the training that came with it means that I can now use my FULL potential in games like Battlefield and other “realistic” shooters. However I can start to see some complaints arising from this. Not everyone is the same. Me? I weigh around 300lb at 6’2″. I’m not really fat, for I have a large muscle mass, but I can’t say I am skinny either. I’m just a run of the mill average Joe. This guy, and others I seen testing this, are all around the same proportions. They are slender, what if there is a gamer that is 300lbs with no muscle, this is a great way for him/her to get into shape while still having FUN doing what they LOVE. Only issue? Will they make one of these for larger people?
No joke, I’m only 5’6″ and 196lbs, but I can’t justify the expense of one of these things until they stop looking like a house of cards physically. I would like to be able to jump, take a knee, and drop to prone as well, but that’s a different issue.