Part I: Theorising cyberspace: Chapter 6: Virtual worlds and the social realities of cyberspace.

This chapter discusses the relation between information and communication technologies (ICT) and social life by reference to virtual reality (VR) technology. Although VR has so far been largely confined to research laboratories, VR systems have recently come to be commercially available. And while there are not many everyday settings in which VR systems are currently used, VR crystallises many of the issues about the social implications of ICT because it involves interactivity and realistic computer-generated worlds. VR is a technology by means of which users can experience and interact with computer-generated environments. Although the origins of VR can be traced to computer displays which were developed in the 1960s, the main technological advances in this field have taken place in the 1990s, with dozens of laboratories and firms currently involved in VR research and development. VR systems are currently developing in two directions: on the one hand, there are low-cost systems for the entertainment games market. These are technically relatively unsophisticated because they have to compete in price with other arcade-style and home computer games. On the other hand, there are various relatively expensive VR systems aimed at more specialised markets, such as medical research or training for hazardous environments. These systems tend to include devices which are specifically tailored to particular tasks.