Art, terror and erections show VR potential at Venice

Ok…..

The only things that the directors and producers did that was sexual was an attempted rape in a massage parlor, and then a homosexual sex party in a sauna?

These aren’t even normal things. LOL

Perhaps they should be a little ashamed of themselves for only doing things for shock value while calling it art?

Erections? What’s happening now?

Given that its 15-minute running time is almost entirely filled with naked men fellating and penetrating each other in a sauna, some might feel the line is crossed.

Gee... I wonder why...

I would like to see this technology applied in more..."constructive ways" like using it to enhance the ZOOM experience so that people can actually attend meetings virtually and actually interact as if they were in the room together. It could also be used to improve the WFH experience and make it even more mainstream.

Seems a better use of tech than this porn and torture porn crap.

The words “Art, terror and Venice” were added to give the headline some journalistic “integrity”:

- …“erections show VR potential”

I think it's a really cool medium, but one that a lot of filmmakers and game developers haven't quite grasped yet. Abdalla is absolutely correct that you need the right kind of project for it to work, you can't just make everything VR and call it a day. It's why we got a lot of on rails first person shooters early on in VR's lifespan, because they were the most intuitive to put together.

Likewise, I am not surprised pornography is thriving in VR because it doesn't take a whole lot of creativity to figure out how that one will work.

You have to be really aware that some people don't take to VR easily, VR-sickness is a real thing and it took me a couple months to stop feeling nauseous playing certain games. Anything where you take the autonomy of movement away from the viewer is going to cause a severe reaction in most people. It also creates issue with longer form video because some people can't take it without feeling sick for the length of say...a feature film.

Let’s face it: “erections” - It comes down to both directorial AND editorial choices here. More flaccid headlines in the morning wood not have stuck out as much to titillate readers attentions and interest in to the current state of VR. This entire story is a game of wordplay.

Perhaps the creators are playing out their fantasies more than an audience to are justifying they are trying to pursue?

*- “The vast potential means creators are still defining what VR can be for themselves … and, for audiences.*

*"You can feel the possibilities changing as you're working with the tools," said Abdalla. *

Art, terror and erections show VR potential at Venice

I'm so turned on!

Don’t want to mistakenly assume from usernames but, an ‘on topic’ question for ‘the ladies’ only since the story speaks of a ‘female’* character:

Beyond game play, does the creators’ depictions of “A man trying to force a woman into sex”, in other words, “Forcible SEXUAL ASSAULT & RAPE” interest you in endorsing or buying these products?

(yes, males can be sexually assaulted & raped, according to the law in most jurisdictions but, to stay ‘on topic’ and related to this *story, the question is limited to those identifying as ‘female’.). -

*- “The vast potential means creators are still defining what VR can be for themselves and, for audiences. "You can feel the possibilities changing as you're working with the tools," said Abdalla.*

How do the creators ideas of fantasy scenarios make women “feel”?

Porn leads the way again! If you were around for the early internet, you will know that all of the most sophisticated HTML of the time was on the porn sites and if you were stuck trying to get an effect, often a visit to the code of such a site or sites would solve your problem with 'borrowed' code. It was much easier to 'borrow' then. In America, many early settlements in the West were just a bar and a brothel around which a community would evolve, a religion would arrive and then run the brothel, if not the bar, out of town. Yep, if you want to get people's attention, Marketing has known the 'secret' since Eve bit the pomegranate ('apples' came later)... Just wait until 'food porn' figures this one out and the 'meals' one might have available to participate in. A million years of slowly accumulating knowledge and technology and the onboard equipment to use it (see: brain) and we're no further along than early Homo erectus and that was a REAL Hominin and not a word play on this story. Cry? Laugh? Or just sigh...Humanity never fails to be true to itself...

It will be interesting to see the 'accessories' that are developed to accompany the visual and aural aspects. 'Tactility', a VR 'suit', will not be far off, I suspect, and beyond that imagination will require the mind of a William Gibson and deliver a Human World as different to us as we are to the year 1890...

@William Bjornson

There have been different forms of suits with haptic feedback already, they are a bit unwieldy as it stands but they do work. A far cry from the sleek wetsuits you might see in a SF film, closer to taping a bunch of game controllers to yourself. Still, that kind of prototype is already coming along.

For a horrible second I thought it said ‘elections’!

Thank God it didn’t.

Tilda Swinton, a marvelous actress, also identifies as “queer”. She is outspoken about women’s issues yet it is not appalled by these depictions of forcible sexual assault in VR? What’s up with that?

Tilda Swinton, a marvelous actress, also identifies as “queer”. She is outspoken about women’s issues yet it is not appalled by these depictions of forcible sexual assault in VR? What’s up with that?

"It" is not appalled? Hm.

I don't think she seems to be, since she took part in the project. There is a difference between taking part in artistic fiction and condoning real life violence.

For example, Edward Norton starred as a neo-nazi in American History X, but I highly doubt that Edward Norton supports neo-nazism.

Tilda Swinton, a marvelous actress, also identifies as “queer”. She is outspoken about women’s issues yet is she not appalled by these depictions of forcible sexual assault in VR? What’s up with that?

And yes, sister your point about actors and ‘roles’ is taken. You’re just now seeing that post out of context to the earlier posts that have since been deleted. (Think you were busy with 9/11 conspiracy theorists at that time.)

Could you reintroduce the context for me, snowy? I don't think that being a part of an artistic work that portrays (and, in this case, even involves the audience in) acts that we consider vicious would disqualify you from being an advocate against those acts.

I'm sure we're all opposed to murder, but I don't recall people being angry at Keanu Reeves for portraying John Wick.

Understood @ExpressS 5:32p ‘playing a part’ doesn’t disqualify one for being an opponent “against those acts”. But what about those that advocate for dismissal of punishment for escaped, convicted felons? Specifically for Swinton and others, advocating for a person convicted of “unlawful sexual acts upon a minor”? Since you were able to re-introduce the topic, can only account for one relevant, prior point:

- “Tilda Swindon, a brilliant actress, would do well to play one of her former collaborators: David Bowie. - However, outside of her remarkable talents, have lost much respect for her, AND others, who signed a petition to absolve and release Roman Polanski from US pursuit & prosecution for rape of a minor child then fleeing the U.S. hours prior to his sentencing:

- “Over 100 top stars signed a petition calling for Polanski’s release from the US legal hunt. Natalie Portman, Martin Scorsese and Tilda Swinton were among some of those stars. Oprah Winfrey and Meryl Streep were not signatories, but supported the idea nonetheless.” -

VR entertainment will open the door for virtual activities that would otherwise be illegal in the real world. Some, like shooting/killing people, are already here. I'm looking forward to some of the more, "newer" or "fresher" VR tech that will be merge with deep fakes and physical, or touchable (and washable) technologies.

It truly will be incredible -- and disconcerting (for some)!

But what about those that advocate for dismissal of punishment for escaped, convicted felons? Specifically for Swinton and others, advocating for a person convicted of “unlawful sexual acts upon a minor”? Since you were able to re-introduce the topic, can only account for one relevant, priorpoint:

I think it was bad for her to sign that. Bad choice, bad thing to do.

But it’s not related to what you had mentioned, which was depiction of sexual assault.

To be clearer for other posters, I’d like it if you could include things like “Swinton signed the bad petition” in your initial post. I didn’t remove anything from context, because you didn’t provide it. I like you, but I can’t read your mind, you know?