I think that it is most interesting to think about how VR will utilize the encyclopedic properties of digital environments to create engaging experiences. All of the knowledge present on the internet and networked devices can be explored in a setting that allows complete immersion for users, but how can virtual reality present this information through near full-sensory immersion? I believe that apart from adhering to physical and spatial properties of the real world, virtual reality experiences will have the difficulty of enhancing our experience of movement within the experience. I believe the challenge will be: how can the most engaging aspects of viewing and navigating the world around us be combined with innovative ways of movement and sensory stimulation in virtual reality to enhance the user’s experience? I believe VR will force developers and designers to alter the current state of “encyclopedic knowledge,” which I believe is at the present limited to video, photos and text on the internet, and how new and old knowledge will be transformed into appealing experiences in VR.
I believe that Murray’s description of Sid Meier’s Civilization as a game that can inhibit our ability to interpret the underpinnings of alternate realities through the experience’s seeming encyclopedic knowledge will remain more or less true in virtual reality. In fact, I personally believe that in its present state, virtual reality may inhibit users’ ability to “ask why things work the way they do” because of the physical constraints that VR poses with its wonky headsets and controllers. The mere fact that I can explore the whole database of the rules and backstory of Civilization in mere seconds and with moving my mouse by a few inches is extremely efficient compared to the required physical, full-body movements in virtual reality. Therefore, I believe VR designers will need to consider how experiences can allow full, conscious participation of users while remaining engaging and requiring minimal mental and physical exertion to question and understand the environment around them.