Infinite Reality: The Hidden Blueprint of Our Virtual Lives

by Jim Blascovich, Jeremy Bailenson

Can our brains recognize where "reality" ends and "virtual" begins? Where will technology lead us in five, fifty, or five hundred years? An unrivaled guide to our digital future that has been cited by the Supreme Court, Infinite Reality is a mind-bending "journey through the virtual universe" (Wall Street Journal). Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson, two pioneering authorities, explore the profound potential of emerging technologies and reveal how our brains behave in digital worlds.

Genres: Science, Technology, Nonfiction, Virtual Reality

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 2012

Reviews

[Dean Oken · Rating 3 out of 5]

An optimist look at the future of VR, but already out of date both tech wise and language wise.

[K. Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable enough. It could stand to go more in-depth with many experiments/broad statements made (especially in the last two chapters of the books) but serves as an interesting launching off point for a discussion on virtual reality and the potential roles it could grow into over time.

As always, one appreciates a good set of references at the end of any science book.

[Squeemu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very fast read, but it didn't go into any depth about the experiments they referenced. For example, the authors mentioned that they were able to predict with 80% accuracy the demographics of players in Second Life, but they didn't say anything more than that, e.g., what the key characteristics were and which groups they matched. This was basically just a brief review of virtual reality instead of anything that adds to the subject.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mentor gave me this book to read and I otherwise wouldn't have picked it up. With that being said, I'm glad I've read it because I've learned more about virtual reality than I would have learned otherwise. I do want to note that the field is changing so rapidly and some of the references are now dated (I.e. References to second life).