Human Interaction in Virtual Environments Lab
Department of Computer Science
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Inspirational Material for VR

Occasionally, someone asks me what got me interested in working on VR research. I was originally inspired by visions in popular media. Here are a few of the "old" ones, and some newer ones, that might be interesting for you to look into.

Books

Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson. This book introduced the term "Cyberspace". The first line reads: "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel..."
Count Zero (1986) by William Gibson. Book two in the Neuromancer series.
Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988) by William Gibson. Book three in the Neuromancer series.
Ender's Game (1985) by Orson Scott Card. Sometimes it's tough to tell where the game ends and reality begins.
Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson. Nothing like a pizza-delivering protagonist called "The Deliverator."
Killobyte (1993) by Piers Anthony. The story of a paralyzed cop trapped in a virtual reality game by a hacker, who he must stop to save a fellow trapped player with diabetes slowly succumming to insulin shock.

Movies

Westworld (1973). Amazon says: "A futuristic amusement park becomes a deathtrap when the androids and computer systems used in it begin to murderously run amok."
Tron (1982). Amazon says: "A hacker is literally abducted into the world of a computer and forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program."
The Lawnmower Man (1992). A reviewer on Amazon says: "An entertaining sci-fi film on the subject of virtual reality and artificial brain enhancement gone wrong."
eXistenZ (1999). Amazon says: "A game designer creates a virtual-reality game that taps into the players' minds."
The Matrix (1999). Stop trying to hit me and hit me.

We thank the following companies for their support: