Virtual reality (VR) prompts the question: What is real and what is illusion? And further: Is consciousness a product of the material world, or is the material world a product of consciousness? (Ascott, 2006) At the same time the technology also provides a unique canvas within which to creatively explore elements of reality, mind and perception helping to unravel the answers to the question the medium poses.
VR can create worlds that closely match our own, simulating the visual and audio elements and the laws of physics. It is a useful metaphor for the real world and is used in training, particularly in situations such as military flight training that would otherwise be expensive and hazardous. VR provides a rich, powerful and unique medium for artist to explore. Modern First-Person Shooter (FPS) games can be considered a subset of VR and provide a powerful, inexpensive tool with which to create virtual worlds.
In essence it is the ultimate art form: if art is seen as the attempt to represent reality, either accurately, abstractly or symbolically, Virtual Reality could be claimed to be the ultimate art form.
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