Overview

Virtual reality is able to effectively blur the line between reality and illusion, pushing the limits of our imagination and granting us access to any experience possible. These experiences, ones that the brain is convinced are real, will soon be available at the click of a button. In Experience on Demand, Jeremy Bailenson draws on two decades spent researching the psychological effects of virtual reality to help readers understand this new medium. He offers expert guidelines for interacting with VR and describes the profound ways this technology can be used to hone our performance, help us recover from trauma, improve our learning and communication abilities, and even enhance our empathic and imaginative capacities so that we treat others, the environment and ourselves better.

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Few people alive know as much about VR as Jeremy Bailenson. For decades he's been researching how VR affects humans. Read this before you enter this new world.--Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired and author of The Inevitable With sharp intelligence and lucid prose, Jeremy Bailenson deftly surveys the current state of this uniquely powerful medium. This engaging book shows us the vast potential of virtual reality as an empathy machine with the potential to change the world, while also being clear-eyed about its pitfalls and limitations. Nobody has thought longer or deeper than Bailenson about how VR will affect society, and he takes us on an entertaining tour of what it can do, from giving children thrilling educational experiences to teaching the public about climate change to enhancing the storytelling powers of filmmakers and journalists.--Laurene Powell Jobs, President of Emerson Collective What is Virtual Reality? Everyone is talking about it but very few have really indulged in artistic and well crafted simulations. Jeremy Bailenson takes you beyond the hype and into the profound and empathic ways VR is enhancing every facet of life... from how we communicate to how we are entertained. A must read for anyone who is curious about the world we live in.--Jane Rosenthal, Producer and Co-Founder of Tribeca Enterprises Jeremy Bailenson's knowledge of VR, from high level issues of hardware design and market dynamics down to details of human interaction and behavior is without equal, and this book is no exception. To this day, my scariest VR experience was delivered by Jeremy in his lab around 2011, and I am still incorporating learning from that first demonstration into my work. Although VR hardware at a reasonable price is finally upon us, there are a number of big design problems turning up around human interaction and human experience in virtual environments that will have to be solved to move forward to worldwide daily use. This book contains essential insights and information related to solving those problems, and will be essential reading material for VR experience designers.--Philip Rosedale, Founder of High Fidelity and Second Life Virtual reality is changing the way athletes train. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand and hone performance through VR.--Joe Montana, Hall of Fame quarterback Jeremy Bailenson's work is unflinching and brave. He helps us see more of our vulnerabilities and our potential than ever before. This book describes the edge of human self-knowledge, and a precipice of human foibles to avoid.--Jaron Lanier, VR pioneer and author of You Are Not A Gadget Bailenson provides a clarifying framework for a necessary conversation about what it will mean to 'be there' in the twenty-first century. Read this to calibrate the ethical and moral choices ahead.--Sherry Turkle, professor of the social studies of science and technology, MIT, and author of Reclaiming Conversation As one of VR's pioneers, Jeremy Bailenson sheds light on how it works, its benefits, and how it will impact us in the future.--Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer, Samsung Electronics

Jeremy Bailenson's knowledge of VR, from high level issues of hardware design and market dynamics down to details of human interaction and behavior is without equal, and this book is no exception. To this day, my scariest VR experience was delivered by Jeremy in his lab around 2011, and I am still incorporating learning from that first demonstration into my work. Although VR hardware at a reasonable price is finally upon us, there are a number of big design problems turning up around human interaction and human experience in virtual environments that will have to be solved to move forward to worldwide daily use. This book contains essential insights and information related to solving those problems, and will be essential reading material for VR experience designers. -- Philip Rosedale, Founder of High Fidelity and Second Life What is Virtual Reality? Everyone is talking about it but very few have really indulged in artistic and well crafted simulations. Jeremy Bailenson takes you beyond the hype and into the profound and empathic ways VR is enhancing every facet of life... from how we communicate to how we are entertained. A must read for anyone who is curious about the world we live in. -- Jane Rosenthal, Producer and Co-Founder of Tribeca Enterprises With sharp intelligence and lucid prose, Jeremy Bailenson deftly surveys the current state of this uniquely powerful medium. This engaging book shows us the vast potential of virtual reality as an empathy machine with the potential to change the world, while also being clear-eyed about its pitfalls and limitations. Nobody has thought longer or deeper than Bailenson about how VR will affect society, and he takes us on an entertaining tour of what it can do, from giving children thrilling educational experiences to teaching the public about climate change to enhancing the storytelling powers of filmmakers and journalists. -- Laurene Powell Jobs, President of Emerson Collective As one of VR's pioneers, Jeremy Bailenson sheds light on how it works, its benefits, and how it will impact us in the future. -- Young Sohn, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Samsung Electronics Bailenson provides a clarifying framework for a necessary conversation about what it will mean to 'be there' in the 21st century. Read this to calibrate the ethical and moral choices ahead. -- Sherry Turkle, professor of the social studies of science and technology, MIT, and author of Reclaiming Conversation Jeremy Bailenson's work is unflinching and brave. He helps us see more of our vulnerabilities and our potential than ever before. This book describes the edge of human self-knowledge, and a precipice of human foibles to avoid. -- Jaron Lanier, VR Pioneer and author of You Are Not A Gadget Virtual reality is changing the way athletes train. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand and hone performance through VR. -- Joe Montana, Hall of Fame Quarterback Few people alive know as much about VR as Jeremy Bailenson. For decades he's been researching how VR affects humans. Read this before you enter this new world. -- Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired and author of The Inevitable

Jeremy Bailenson's knowledge of VR, from high level issues of hardware design and market dynamics down to details of human interaction and behavior is without equal, and this book is no exception. To this day, my scariest VR experience was delivered by Jeremy in his lab around 2011, and I am still incorporating learning from that first demonstration into my work. Although VR hardware at a reasonable price is finally upon us, there are a number of big design problems turning up around human interaction and human experience in virtual environments that will have to be solved to move forward to worldwide daily use. This book contains essential insights and information related to solving those problems, and will be essential reading material for VR experience designers. -- Philip Rosedale, Founder of High Fidelity and Second Life What is Virtual Reality? Everyone is talking about it but very few have really indulged in artistic and well crafted simulations. Jeremy Bailenson takes you beyond the hype and into the profound and empathic ways VR is enhancing every facet of life... from how we communicate to how we are entertained. A must read for anyone who is curious about the world we live in. -- Jane Rosenthal, Producer and Co-Founder of Tribeca Enterprises With sharp intelligence and lucid prose, Jeremy Bailenson deftly surveys the current state of this uniquely powerful medium. This engaging book shows us the vast potential of virtual reality as an empathy machine with the potential to change the world, while also being clear-eyed about its pitfalls and limitations. Nobody has thought longer or deeper than Bailenson about how VR will affect society, and he takes us on an entertaining tour of what it can do, from giving children thrilling educational experiences to teaching the public about climate change to enhancing the storytelling powers of filmmakers and journalists. -- Laurene Powell Jobs, President of Emerson Collective As one of VR's pioneers, Jeremy Bailenson sheds light on how it works, its benefits, and how it will impact us in the future. -- Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer, Samsung Electronics Bailenson provides a clarifying framework for a necessary conversation about what it will mean to `be there' in the twenty-first century. Read this to calibrate the ethical and moral choices ahead. -- Sherry Turkle, professor of the social studies of science and technology, MIT, and author of Reclaiming Conversation Jeremy Bailenson's work is unflinching and brave. He helps us see more of our vulnerabilities and our potential than ever before. This book describes the edge of human self-knowledge, and a precipice of human foibles to avoid. -- Jaron Lanier, VR pioneer and author of You Are Not A Gadget Virtual reality is changing the way athletes train. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand and hone performance through VR. -- Joe Montana, Hall of Fame quarterback Few people alive know as much about VR as Jeremy Bailenson. For decades he's been researching how VR affects humans. Read this before you enter this new world. -- Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired and author of The Inevitable

Author Information

Jeremy Bailenson is professor of communication at Stanford University and founding director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Slate, and the San Francisco Chronicle. He lives in Redwood City, California.

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