In the chapter “From Additive to Expressive Form: Beyond ‘Multimedia’,” Janet Murray discussed the ideas of additive forms and expressive forms, stating that “additive formulations are a sign that the medium is in an early stage of development and is still depending on formats derived from earlier technologies instead of exploiting its own expressive power” (p.83). Indeed, additive forms, such as narrative films, are merely dependent on the available technology without any further exploration into possible changes of physical properties. Meanwhile, expressive forms are the result after a long aggressive process of discoveries, inventions, and adoptions, extending the horizon of the current digital world.
From my perspective, without much prior experience with virtual reality (VR), I believe that our today’s idea of VR must also start as a simple additive form, and has been developed throughout history to achieve the current much more expressive state. VR falls in between additive and expressive forms, as it is really challenging to define VR exclusively belonging to one. It is more of a process where VR is heading towards more innovations in technology and bringing about a better expressive virtual environment for the users. Just a few decades ago, the concept of 3D or VR was still new to most of the people. Now, VR is hitting the mainstream – hundreds of companies are working in creating and improving VR technology, adding on devices and features. VR is existent everywhere, in games and films, and it is what makes the journey of VR development even more appealing. There has been a long way since its start, and I firmly believe that VR is advancing towards a more expressive form.