Virtual Reality and Violence

Super-violence is a new term that defines violence in a grand and exaggerating way. (Klare 16) Seen as an era of constant warfare and violence, it has made its way into entertainment and media. Whether it is chopping the heads of people and seeing the blood from their bodies gush like champagne fountains or seeing throats slit by children, today's media has taken on a new level of violence that thanks to visual effects and special effects makeup, shows just how intense the public has become in their quest for savagery. But why does the public desire more and more violence in their stories? What turn will this take in the future?

The recent invention and use of virtual reality just may be the way people will participate in the increasingly violent nature of media. Through virtual reality people can feel as though they are right in the middle of a scene and fight and see up close the mayhem that unfolds. How does VR work to get the wearer in the middle of a scene or a game? Many companies have begun introducing virtual reality headsets into their product line. Companies like Google, HTC, Oculus, Samsung, and Sony have all released products that provide consumers with a chance at experiencing virtual reality. The three main things required to do so are a console, a smartphone, or a PC to run the game/app, some type of input like controllers, hand or head tracking, trackpads, voice, or on-device buttons, and a headset that secures a display for visuals. While users of VR headsets feel immersion in the game or scene, total immersion is the end goal. This means making virtual reality seem so real that people using the technology forget they are wearing accessories and head gear.

Playstation VR and Oculus Rift are VR headsets that are head mounted displays or HMDs. They aim to provide the consumer a 3D virtual, life size environment that has no boundaries like screens on a TV. Anywhere a consumer looks, the visuals follow. VR headsets utilize one of two feeds sent to two LCD displays or one display. Lenses within the headsets allow for options to reshape and focus the picture, generating a stereoscopic 3D image. (Linowes) VR headsets often come with a few various internal parts that can be used for a head-tracking system like a magnetometer, gyroscope, and accelerometer. Motion-tracking is the next future objective of motional reality and may come soon.

This is just one of many ways people have chosen to engage in media to express their innermost feelings and desires. And that is largely why people crave violence in media, because they are scared or angry of the world they live and interact in. This essay will show how the human mind works by exploring theories and concepts that provide clues into the innerworkings of the human mind and most importantly the subconscious, where many of the darker emotions reside.

In Zillman's article, he asks the question of why violence is appealing? People engage in sports like boxing, roller derby and the crowds scream with glee. A bad guy is killed or beaten by a hero and the viewers delight seeing it all on the big screen. Possible reasons why violence is so entertaining could lie in disposition theory which examines just outcomes, PENS model that covers choice/autonomy, competence, and relations, or novelty (sensation seeking). In disposition theory, when viewers observe characters, they have the tendency of making moral judgments over the actions of those characters (Zillman and Goldstein 179-211). Add to that the idea that someone may become emotionally aroused by suspenseful drama and it creates a means of entertainment from depictions of violence. When Batman for example, is attacked by some thugs, it generates emotional arousal for the viewer, possibly amplifying mood.

In a typical justice sequence a bad person performs a bad action. Thus, someone good suffers and a hero undergoes trials. Through those trials, the bad guy receives suitable punishment or justice and justice is restored, reassuring the viewer everything will be okay.

Delving into PENS model, competence refers to the idea that violence generates clear objectives that under pressure provide immediate, clear feedback. This can be seen in violent video games where the protagonist must shoot down bad guys to complete a mission. This represents autonomy. In relationships, players in video games must cooperate in teams to kill a boss or reach another objective. Although violence in games can spark aggression from those with trait aggression, violent video games provide relationships and autonomy for players, explaining why they make like playing them.

Violence seems to arouse emotions in people and in general is very arousing. Seeing it in shows, movies, and video games allows people to challenge themselves, reinforce their beliefs, and feel something for the story or the characters. It can be seen a cathartic experience, a means of desensitization, or for some, sensation seeking. Sensation seeking can explain why some people seek violence in media more than others.

High sensation seekers are attracted to horror and violence more than low sensation seekers and find these experiences generally more arousing. Aside from reinforcement of justice and attachment to story, violence in media also provides a desensitization that can aid in lessening anxiety associated with violence and may even help people deal with phobias. However, from desensitizing also comes a reduced emotional response to said violence leaving a desire for more and more extreme levels of violence, creating an environment that produces Super-violence. Now with the recent introduction of virtual reality headsets, people can expose themselves to even more intense violence in games and movies. They can witness an in immersive way how to kill bad guys and other violent aims.

In fact, virtual reality may become a new way to desensitize people further and create even more violent scenarios soon. This is because at the heart of all media and entertainment are stories. Stories allow people to make judgment calls and decide whether they like or hate someone, seeking to make them suffer or reward them. As Zillmann points out, when people watch a movie or read a book, there is an ongoing moral monitor of actions taken by characters and then balancing/weighing its impact on overall assessment of that character. (Cornell University 2-20) One example is Hit Girl. While she is super violent, killing anyone that poses a threat to her, she does those things for her father, or to protect her friend, or to protect herself. People see her as a good person even though she kills and steals.

Super-violence has begun to influence many narratives in entertainment and media. Kickass is just one of many movies that have used extreme violence to create lovable characters and heroes. What makes people judge others as good even though they are violent and behave violently? Per disposition-based theories, "audience members form affective dispositions toward a character, such as liking/disliking, enmity/amity, based on moral judgments about an observed character's actions. However, disposition-based theories focus on the consequences of those affective dispositions." (Lee and Shapiro 146) What this means is disposition-based theories concentrate on the outcomes of affective dispositions without paying attention to the dynamic process of whether a character is likeable, unlikeable, good and bad.

Lee and Shapiro however, have identified and proposed two sequences that may play a significant part in formation of affective dispositions and moral judgments. Those two sequences are rationalist and intuitionist sequence. "...a rationalist sequence in which intentionality judgments about a character's actions inform moral judgments about the action and affective dispositions toward the character, and an intuitionist sequence in which prior affective dispositions toward the character inform moral and intentionality judgments about an action." (Lee and Shapiro 147) It all boils down to likability. This can be seen in Donald Trump and his bid for presidency. He arouses the most violent reactions from people yet he is close in the race for the White House. Regardless of his actions, people like him and his personality leading to the next area of discussion, people's use of media for enjoyment.

People in the modern age have grown to rely on the internet and the various aspects of the internet like social media. Instead of going outside and meeting people, some have chosen to exist within the internet and at home watching television shows, playing video games, and listening to music. For the last seventy years, scholars have tried to understand why people get so much enjoyment from media and the growing obsession of people's pursuit of media and entertainment. More importantly is there a deeper reason and motivation for such pursuits?

Zillmann has discussed this extensively in his writings. He suggests people pursue media to manage their emotional states. "Emotional stimulation or relaxation can be actively regulated by varying the strength and target of dispositional alignments based on the distance between characters and the self." (Sherry 330) People experiencing understimulation may enjoy violence and horror versus people who are overstimulated enjoying happy, funny genres. Entertainment thus serves the purpose of stimulation or relaxation. "Entertainment, then, is a multifaceted construct that emphasizes emotional pleasure, with media providing an escape to a fantasy world where emotions can be experienced." (Sherry 330)

People often wonder why the level of violence has grown in recent years in media and entertainment. Perhaps it can be linked to the level of depression and mental health problems experienced by the public. Super-violence and the recent innovation of virtual reality may be the kind of stimulation people feel they need to help them regulate their higher levels of understimulation. To feel, they must watch and experience something that is that much more visceral, that is that much more immersive.

There is a psychology behind portrayals of violence and explained by Zillmann. Zillmann states that in regards to violence, the human's shadow archetype is essential because this archetype is believed to assimilate a person's prehumen or premoral impulsions (ie. Animal instincts). A person's dark side, believed to have possession and obsessive properties constitute an ongoing threat to the moral striving of the ego. Zillmann explains that the shadow self becomes more destructive if it is not expressed or recognized. "Considering coercive, violent impulsions, this is obvious. Recognition of such urges seems a precondition for any curtailment by moral means." (Zillman and Goldstein 188) To quell the primordial fears and urges from the subconscious, people must express it and recognize it through active engagement. Such active engagement thus leads to entertainment seeking and in many cases search for violent arousals.