8: Lecture Notes

Virtual is not opposed to the real but to the actual. The possible, on the other hand, is opposed to the real. Thus the possible has no reality. The virtual, on the other hand, is not actual but has reality. Therefore, if our terminology is to be consistent, we must say that virtualities are actualized and possibilities are realized
- Difference & Creativity: Vituality and Actualization in Deleuze's reading of Bergson

The lines between reality and virtual reality are becoming increasingly blurred due to the internet, online gaming and an increase in video simulations being used for training purposes and medical studies.

More and more people are choosing to invest their time and money into their online persona's in online games and MMORPG's (Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Games) such as Second Life, Farmville and Habbo. These websites encourage users to buy credits which they can then redeem for items that enhance their experience within the game (such as items for their room in Habbo and farming equipment in Farmville).

Some people get so invested in these online worlds that they forget that it is simply a virtual reality and they neglect their real life. One story that I am reminded of happened earlier this year. A Korean couple were charged with child neglect after their online gaming addiction had allegedly caused their 3-month-old daughter to starve to death. In a cruel twist, the couple were preoccupied with raising a "virtual daughter" in the online game PRIUS and usually spent 12 hours a day at an internet cafe.

Of course we haven't always lived in this digital world, but some of the technological advances that set the stage for today's virtual realities are:

• Telegraph
  
• Telephone
  
• Phonograph
  
• Radio
  
• Cinema
  
• Television