Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book demonstrates that there was a good deal of conceptual impetus to the early development of the technology. It provides a discussion of the new forms of human expression, desirable or otherwise, which virtual reality technology might allow. The book then shows how the degree of realism in the computation of computer graphics affects the perception of the intended image. It also covers a wide range of perceptual issues, including sensation, different levels of perceptual processing, the integration of different senses, and cognition. The book analyses virtual reality as a media technology with social implications and suggests that virtual reality is a simulation which can be configured in any way. It then analyses the senses more complete by providing a brief description of auditory perception and the role of audition in virtual reality.