ABSTRACT
The entertainment industry is already highly sophisticated, with blockbuster movies and compelling video games, while newer technologies such as virtual reality offer even more immersive experiences. The hitch is that all the activities he cites are hedonistic: “nice walks, a lovely glass of wine from time to time” and a colourful sunset over the mountains. A cynic might say that these pursuits too are merely hedonistic: there is little deeper meaning to be had from hitting balls with sticks or from the cut and thrust of Wall Street. Norms have changed immensely over the past centuries. Consider someone born in the UK in 1850, who did his duty building the British Empire as a young man. Borges contends that there is only so much of this that a person can take before their will to engage with the world breaks down, and they wish only to lie in shallow pits, staring at the stars.
