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

Line 3:

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