Snow Crash: Difference between revisions - VR & AR Wiki - Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Wiki

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[[File:Snow crash cover.jpg|thumb|Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Image: www.bioethics.ac.uk)]]

==General Information==

Snow Crash is a science-fiction novel written by American author [[Neal Stephenson]]. It was published in 1992 and established Stephenson as a major science-fiction writer of the 1990s. The book was selected by Time magazine as one of the 100 all-time best English-language novels written since 1923. The list was created by critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo <ref name =”1”> Grossman, L. (2010). All-time 100 Novels. Retrieved from http://entertainment.time.com/2005/10/16/all-time-100-novels/slide/snow-crash-1992-by-neal-stephenson/</ref>. Snow Crash has been considered a parody of [[cyberpunk]], filled with satire - deliberately looking at the world “through the lens of exaggerated, humorous motifs aimed at providing insight through magnification of salient traits.” <ref name =”2”> Pimentel, S. (2016). Snow Crash Revisited: Grokking a Satire of Mimesis. Retrieved from https://hackernoon.com/snow-crash-revisited-grokking-a-satire-of-mimesis-23de3ac05f47</ref> In 1993, the novel was nominated for a BSFA (British Science Fiction Association Award) and a Prometheus award. In 1994, it received a nomination for an Arthur C. Clarke award <ref name =”3”> Worlds Without End. 1993 Award Winners & Nominees. Retrieved from https://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1993</ref> <ref name =”4”> Worlds Without End. 1994 Award Winners & Nominees. Retrieved from https://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1994</ref>.

The science-fiction novel depicts a posthuman world in which many of its inhabitants have a parallel existence in the [[Metaverse]] - a digital network that has some features in common with the internet. Users log into the Metaverse with a [[virtual reality headset]] that has earphones that are plugged into the ears <ref name =”5”> Sedore, M. (2012). The dangers behind technological progress: Posthuman control in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. Master of Arts Thesis, Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved from https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3A3969/datastream/OBJ/view/dangers_behind_technological_progress.pdf</ref>. The Metaverse is mostly populated by real people that are represented by avatars in the digital space. It is a virtual reality world envisioned as a large cyber-planet containing homes, corporate headquarters, nightclubs, and other types of buildings found in reality, and others that are not. Besides the real people, the Metaverse also contains totally synthetic characters. These have different degrees of capability and complexity, interacting with users as if they were avatars representing real people <ref name =”6”> Allbeck, J. M. and Badler, N. I. (1998). Avatars á la Snow Crash. Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/hms/24</ref>. Once a user enters the Metaverse, he will be presented with a brilliantly lit boulevard that stretches off into an infinite blackness. The boulevard is a computer-rendered view of an imaginary place from where the user will then navigate the fantasy world through the use of his avatar. The story’s main character is called Hiro Protagonist - a young man who is a computer hacker by profession. He spends the majority of his time in the Metaverse, believing it is his only escape from the harshness of reality <ref name =”5”></ref>.

The science-fiction novel depicts a posthuman world in which many of its inhabitants have a parallel existence in the [[Metaverse]] - a digital network that has some features in common with the internet. Users log into the Metaverse with a [[virtual reality headset]] that has earphones that are plugged into the ears <ref name =”5”> Sedore, M. (2012). The dangers behind technological progress: Posthuman control in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. Master of Arts Thesis, Florida Atlantic University. Retrieved from https://fau.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fau%3A3969/datastream/OBJ/view/dangers_behind_technological_progress.pdf</ref>. The Metaverse is mostly populated by real people that are represented by avatars in the digital space. It is a [[virtual reality]] world envisioned as a large cyber-planet containing homes, corporate headquarters, nightclubs, and other types of buildings found in reality, and others that are not. Besides the real people, the Metaverse also contains totally synthetic characters. These have different degrees of capability and complexity, interacting with users as if they were avatars representing real people <ref name =”6”> Allbeck, J. M. and Badler, N. I. (1998). Avatars á la Snow Crash. Retrieved from http://repository.upenn.edu/hms/24</ref>. Once a user enters the Metaverse, he will be presented with a brilliantly lit boulevard that stretches off into an infinite blackness. The boulevard is a computer-rendered view of an imaginary place from where the user will then navigate the fantasy world through the use of his avatar. The story’s main character is called Hiro Protagonist - a young man who is a computer hacker by profession. He spends the majority of his time in the Metaverse, believing it is his only escape from the harshness of reality <ref name =”5”></ref>.

The book has had a great influence in several people that were inspired by the world that Stephenson created, more specifically the concept of the Metaverse. Indeed, [[Michael Abrash]] (Chief Scientist at [[Oculus VR]]) has described how the novel inspired him to start thinking about a lot of concepts that were explored in the book that could be implemented in real life <ref name =”7”> Abrash, M. (2012). Valve: How I got here, what it’s like, and what I’m doing. Retrieved from http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/valve-how-i-got-here-what-its-like-and-what-im-doing-2/</ref>. The book is also said to have predicted several aspect of modern society and technology, like pervasive access to the internet, a virtual “web” of interconnected information <ref name =”5”></ref> <ref name =”8”> Robert (2013). Snow Crash’s Influence On The Internet & Gaming. Retrieved from https://101books.net/2013/02/05/snow-crashs-influence-on-the-internet-gaming/</ref>. Its arrival in 1992 coincided with the emergence of the internet, when [[William Gibson]]’s ideas about cyberspace were being reshaped by his readers in their own image. Therefore, it was integrated easily in a culture that was at the brink of a new information revolution with the world wide web. Snow Crash’s influence goes well beyond the confines of traditional science-fiction literature. It has influenced game designers, coders, graphic artists and 3D modellers who, like Michael Abrash, took a sense of possibility and tried to realize it in the real world <ref name =”9”> Raven, P. G. (2008). Snow Crash. Retrieved from https://www.sfsite.com/09a/sn279.htm

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[[WebVR]] is a free JavaScript API developed by Mozilla that lets the user have VR experiences through a web browser. Bozorgzadeh, writing for Venture Beat, declared that WebVR is the undisputed missing link that will spark the next iteration of the internet, bringing it closer to the concept of the Metaverse. Due to the increasing focus on the “immersive web” by companies like [[Google]], Oculus, Samsung, and Microsoft, WebVR has had a surge of support. It delivers immersive online experiences without downloads or installs. It also maintains the rights and freedoms of the internet like open and affordable access <ref name =”15”></ref>.

Sean White, SVP of Emerging Technologies at Mozilla, described the next version of the internet - the Metaverse - as “part of the natural evolution, an extension, of how we connect with computation, with each other, and with the world around us. The last several years have seen a proliferation of interaction paradigms that are moving out of pure research and are unified through the Metaverse, and as this happens, we want positive actors in the space — ones that put people first. This has the potential to truly empower learning, creative expression, critical thinking, and connection across the globe.” <ref name =”15”></ref>. Some believe that gaming engines will be the platforms for building the Metaverse, while others think that the concept of the Metaverse goes beyond the capacity of gaming engines, being a protocol supported by multiple platforms from different vendors. WebVR seems a good candidate to bring the next evolution of the internet. It is an open protocol, and can serve as a binding force that connects different mediums. It enables the Metaverse instead of attempting to preconceive and contrive its form, design, and rules. Like the internet, the Metaverse must be a big decentralized and democratized experiment that is organically crowdsourced <ref name =”15”></ref>.

Sean White, SVP of Emerging Technologies at Mozilla, described the next version of the internet - the Metaverse - as “part of the natural evolution, an extension, of how we connect with computation, with each other, and with the world around us. The last several years have seen a proliferation of interaction paradigms that are moving out of pure research and are unified through the Metaverse, and as this happens, we want positive actors in the space - ones that put people first. This has the potential to truly empower learning, creative expression, critical thinking, and connection across the globe.” <ref name =”15”></ref>. Some believe that gaming engines will be the platforms for building the Metaverse, while others think that the concept of the Metaverse goes beyond the capacity of gaming engines, being a protocol supported by multiple platforms from different vendors. WebVR seems a good candidate to bring the next evolution of the internet. It is an open protocol, and can serve as a binding force that connects different mediums. It enables the Metaverse instead of attempting to preconceive and contrive its form, design, and rules. Like the internet, the Metaverse must be a big decentralized and democratized experiment that is organically crowdsourced <ref name =”15”></ref>.

The WebVR developer community is building core metaversal functions like traversal “deep” linking, in which users travel seamlessly between one virtual space to the next without having to remove their headset. Another core construct being built to support a Metaverse are Backpacks. These are portable storage units that allow users to take data from one experience to the next. There are other essentials being developed like security, defining and enabling social interactions, and developing avatars or other forms of identity that are constant or change according to the different virtual worlds <ref name =”15”></ref>.

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==References==

[[Category:Media]] [[Category:Books]]