Episode #1000 of the Voices of VR podcast is a special, three-hour retrospective featuring over 100 of the best answers I’ve received about the ultimate potential of VR over the past 7 years. I hope that it serves as a primer on the scope and breadth of different XR applications across many different contexts and domains of human experience as described by a diverse range of subject matter experts who are on the frontiers of innovation within spatial computing. The episode starts with describing the power of presence and immersion, and then elaborates on the underlying neuroscience foundations of perception and embodied cognition that explain why Extended Reality (XR) technologies like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) present unique affordances that go above and beyond what previous communication mediums can deliver. I believe XR represents a new computing paradigm that will be moving from flat 2D interfaces through windowed portals to volumetric experiences and worlds that are more embodied, immersive, participatory, social, and spatial.
There’s been a lot of recent buzz and hype about the potential and possibilities of the “metaverse” ever since Mark Zukerberg told Casey Newton on July 22 that as Facebook is “building out the next set of computing platforms, like virtual and augmented reality, to give people that sense of presence,” and that if they do this well enough then “I think over the next five years or so, in this next chapter of our company, I think we will effectively transition from people seeing us as primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company.” What does Facebook mean by the Metaverse? Is VR just a fad? Or is this type of rhetoric overblown hyperbole?
After conducting over 1600 oral history interviews over the past seven years, I can say that there are some compelling reasons why I think VR and AR are on the cusp of becoming a reality. How metaverse will continue to unfold, whether it’s closed or open/interoperable, and what it will ultimately look like is still up for debate as it’s still being created. But what I can say is that there’s been a ton of foundational work that’s been done on these immersive technologies since the mid-1960s starting with the military and continuing on through academic research, and then through the first wave of enterprise VR in the early 90s, and now with the second wave of consumer VR that was catalyzed in August 2012 with the Oculus Kickstarter.
Virtual Reality was considered an emerging technology by Gartner’s Hype Cycle Map up until 2017, but since 2018 it’s not been tracked as an emerging technology as it has graduated through the plateau of productivity into an established market. Virtual Reality is here, and it’s actually happening this time around. This podcast episode takes a 10% sample of my first 1000 episodes of the Voices of VR podcast to show a wide range of immediate, near-term, and potential future applications across a wide variety of contexts.
The first Oculus Developer Kits (the Oculus DK1) were shipped in March of 2013, and I bought my DK1 on January 1, 2014. I attended the first professional conference during the Silicon Valley Virtual Reality conference on May 19 and 20th of 2014 where the excitement about the potentials of this new medium was palpable. I ended up recording 44 interviews over those two days because I wanted to capture what felt like a historical moment within the community of early adopters and innovators who would prove to become key figures in the development and continued evolution of what’s possible within the VR medium. I feel like I’ve been in a collaborative conversation with the broader VR community over the past 7 years helping to document the full range of applications, but to also tap into the more philosophical, ethical, and future dreaming potentials for where this could all go.
This episode is broken up into loose sections that cover XR applications and potential futures spanning everything from medicine, neuroscience & behavioral research, early education, training, hanging out with friends in Social VR, connecting to family, recording memories, travel, wayfinding, location-based entertainment, embodied AI & virtual assistants, telepresence & remote work, productivity, new spatial computing paradigms, interdisciplinary collaborations, new human-computer interaction paradigms, the metaverse, open standards like WebXR and OpenXR, empathy, immersive storytelling, journalism, documentary, porn, gaming, ethical considerations around addiction & escapism, trolling and harassment, risks to privacy via surveillance capitalism, risks to Neuro Rights of Agency and autonomy, identity, psychological implications of avatar embodiment, accessibility, diversity and inclusion, the philosophical implications of our first-person perspective, situated knowledges, pluralism, filter bubbles of reality and worldviews, activism, ecological and relational awareness, speculative design and worldbuilding, future dreaming, indigenous futurism, latent human potentials, expanding perception, consciousness hacking and transformative practices, cooperative models of AI development, simulation theory, virtual goods and resources, environmental sustainability, more equitable access to experiences, limits of simulation vs reality, being able to see reality in a new way, and being in right relationship to ourselves, to each other, to the planet, and to all aspects of reality.
Thanks for coming along on this journey so far, and please consider supporting this work via the Voices of VR Patreon. I wouldn’t have been able to come this far without the support from the community, and I have over 600 other unpublished interviews that I look forward to digging into many more insights and reflections on the ultimate potential of VR. More detailed shownotes can be found down below:
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE VOICES OF VR PODCAST
Links to episodes referenced in the podcast:
Introduction
- Kent Bye & Karl Krantz. (2014, July 11) #50: Karl Krantz on cultivating community through Silicon Valley VR meet up & conference, planning a VR career path, Old VR vs New VR, Second Life lessons on identity & governance, & VR as the Final Platform. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/50-karl-krantz-on-cultivating-community-through-silicon-valley-vr-meet-up-conference-planning-a-vr-career-path-old-vr-vs-new-vr-second-life-lessons-on-identity-governance-vr-as-the-final-p.
- Kent Bye & Rebecca Rouse. (2017, November 28) #598: Cinema of Attractions: What VR Can Learn from the Early Days of Film. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/598-cinema-of-attractions-what-vr-can-learn-from-the-early-days-of-film/.
- Kent Bye & Cymatic Bruce Wooden. (2014, May 31) #9: Cymatic Bruce on VR evangelism, most memorable VR experiences from over 500 demos & things to avoid in VR development. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/9-cymatic-bruce-on-vr-evangelism-most-memorable-vr-experiences-from-over-500-demos-things-to-avoid-in-vr-development.
- Kent Bye & Mel Slater. (2015, August 6) #183: Mel Slater on VR Presence, Virtual Body Ownership, & the Time Travel Illusion. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/183-mel-slater-on-vr-presence-virtual-body-ownership-the-time-travel-illusion.
- Kent Bye & Ebbe Altberg. (2014, June 25) #34: Ebbe Altberg, CEO of Linden Lab, on Second Life insights on virtual world identity, economies, governance, culture, the Metaverse, and making it easier to build & discover experiences. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/34-ebbe-altberg-ceo-of-linden-labs-on-second-life-insights-on-identity-in-world-economies-governance-culture-the-metaverse-and-making-it-easier-to-find-build-discover-experiences.
- Kent Bye & Max Geiger. (2014, July 9) #48: Max Geiger on bringing emotional investment to VR, the cinematic VR storytelling spectrum, lessons for directing attention, & Amara’s Law insights on short-term hype train vs. long-term VR revolution. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/48-max-geiger-on-bringing-emotional-investment-to-vr-the-cinematic-vr-storytelling-spectrum-lessons-for-directing-attention-amaras-law-insights-on-short-term-hype-train-vs-long-term-vr-revol.
- Kent Bye & Saadia Khan. (2014, August 4) #73: Saadia Khan on Embodiment Theory & how using virtual avatars can improve learning & how you feel. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/73-saadia-khan-on-embodiment-theory-how-using-virtual-avatars-can-improve-learning-how-you-feel.
- Kent Bye & Ikrima Elhassan. (2014, June 21) #30: Kite and Lightning team talks about Senza Peso, Unreal Engine 4 vs. Unity, 3DUI, motion capture technique tradeoffs, VR lessons learned & future of cinematic VR storytelling. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/30-kite-and-lightning-team-talks-about-senza-peso-unreal-engine-4-vs-unity-3dui-motion-capture-technique-tradeoffs-vr-lessons-learned-future-of-cinematic-vr-storytelling.
- Kent Bye & Denny Unger. (2016, October 14) #462: Denny Unger on Valve’s New Controller Prototype & Future of Non-Linear Storytelling. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/462-denny-unger-on-valves-new-controller-prototype-future-of-non-linear-storytelling.
- Kent Bye & Azad Balabanian. (2016, June 21) #386: Applying Cognitive Science Research to Virtual Reality User Experiences. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/applying-cognitive-science-research-to-virtual-reality-user-experiences.
- Kent Bye & Jacki Morie. (2014, August 3) #72: Jacquelyn Ford Morie on the history of VR, emotional experience mapping, military simulations, NASA isolation training, scent collar for VR, & creating the Holodeck. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/72-jacquelyn-ford-morie-on-the-history-of-vr-emotional-experience-mapping-military-simulations-nasa-isolation-training-scent-collar-for-vr-creating-the-holodeck.
Neuroscience Foundations
- Kent Bye & James Blaha. (2014, June 2) #11: James Blaha’s Diplopia VR game helped him see in 3D in the real world for the first time of his life. Neuroplasticity & VR therapy for lazy eye. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/11-james-blahas-diplopia-vr-game-helped-him-see-in-3d-in-the-real-world-for-the-first-time-of-his-life-neuroplasticity-vr-therapy-for-lazy-eye.
- Kent Bye & Pete Moss. (2015, December 4) #257: How Unity is Enabling this First Wave of Virtual Reality Experiences. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/how-unity-is-enabling-this-first-wave-of-virtual-reality-experiences.
- Kent Bye & Vi Hart. (2017, March 14) #515: Embodied Cognition Experiments with EleVR’s Math Museums & Hyperbolic Space. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/515-embodied-cognition-experiments-with-elevrs-math-museums-hyperbolic-space.
- Kent Bye & Chris North. (2016, June 4) #375: Immersive Analytics & Embodied Cognition. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/375-immersive-analytics-embodied-cognition.
- Kent Bye & Saadia Khan. (2014, August 4) #73: Saadia Khan on Embodiment Theory & how using virtual avatars can improve learning & how you feel. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/73-saadia-khan-on-embodiment-theory-how-using-virtual-avatars-can-improve-learning-how-you-feel.
- Kent Bye & Craig Chapman. (2019, September 12) #807: Neuroscience & VR: Automatic Labelling of EEG Data with Eye Tracking & Motion Data. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/807-neuroscience-vr-automatic-labelling-of-eeg-data-with-eye-tracking-motion-data/.
- Kent Bye & Sarah Hashkes. (2019, June 24) #780: Invoking Psychedelic Embodiment Experiences in VR with Radix Motion’s “MEU” Asynchronous Communication Platform. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/780-invoking-psychedelic-embodiment-experiences-vr-radix-motion-meu/.
- Kent Bye & David Eagleman. (2017, April 18) #527: Turning Your Torso Into an Ear: Sensory Substitution & Addition with Neosensory. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/turning-your-torso-into-an-ear-sensory-substitution-addition-with-neosensory.
Medicine
- Kent Bye & Walter Greenleaf. (2016, May 12) #361: VR Healthcare Applications & the Digital Health Revolution. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/361-vr-healthcare-applications-the-digital-health-revolution.
- Kent Bye & Skip Rizzo. (2017, August 26) #571: PTSD Exposure Therapy in VR: Importance of Storytelling & Emotional Presence in Healing from Trauma. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/571-ptsd-exposure-therapy-in-vr-importance-of-storytelling-emotional-presence-in-healing-from-trauma/.
- Kent Bye & Brennan Spiegel. (2020, October 14) #953: Brennan Spiegel’s “VRx” Book Surveys Virtual Therapeutics as a Whole New Field of Medicine. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/953-brennan-spiegels-vrx-book-surveys-virtual-therapeutics-as-a-whole-new-field-of-medicine/.
- Kent Bye & Craig Chapman. (2019, September 12) #807: Neuroscience & VR: Automatic Labelling of EEG Data with Eye Tracking & Motion Data. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/807-neuroscience-vr-automatic-labelling-of-eeg-data-with-eye-tracking-motion-data/.
- Kent Bye & Carrie Shaw. unpublished interview. Voices of VR Podcast.
Early Education, Training, & Behavioral Research
- Kent Bye & Aaron Walsh. (2014, July 14) #53: Aaron Walsh on best practices for creating immersive educational experiences in virtual reality + Preview of 21 interviews from Immersion 2014. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/53-aaron-walsh-on-best-practices-for-creating-immersive-educational-experiences-in-virtual-reality-preview-of-21-interviews-from-immersion-2014.
- Kent Bye & Kai Fraizer. (2020, January 24) #882 VR for Good: Kai XR’s Inclusive & Accessible Education Kits. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/882-vr-for-good-kai-xrs-inclusive-accessible-education-kits/.
- Kent Bye & Erica Southgate. (2020, July 15) #927: Erica Southgate’s Book on VR Pedagogy & Teaching Higher-Order Metacognition Skills. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/927-erica-southgates-book-on-vr-pedagogy-teaching-higher-order-metacognition-skills/.
- Kent Bye & Mark Pesce. (2017, April 20) #528: Geospatial AR Permissions with the Mixed Reality Service Spec. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/528-geospatial-ar-permissions-with-the-mixed-reality-service-spec.
- Kent Bye & Michael Casale. (2019, September 12) #819: Neuroscience & VR: STRIVR is Leading the VR Training Revolution from Elite NFL Athletes to Walmart Employees. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/819-neuroscience-vr-strivr-is-leading-the-vr-training-revolution-from-elite-nfl-athletes-to-walmart-employees/.
Hanging Out with Friends in Social VR
- Kent Bye & Jesse Joudrey. (2014, June 22) #31: Jesse Joudrey on VR Chat, social interactions & body language, personal expression through custom avatars & spaces, and simulator sickness immunity. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/31-jesse-joudrey-on-vr-chat-social-interactions-body-language-personal-expression-through-custom-avatars-spaces-simulator-sickness-immunity.
- Kent Bye & Kyle Riesenbeck. (2014, June 14) #23: Reverend Kyle on being a VR personality, favorite VR experiences, Social VR & fostering community.. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/23-reverend-kyle-on-being-a-vr-personality-favorite-vr-experiences-social-vr-fostering-community.
- Kent Bye & Athena Demos. (2020, November 17) #960: How Burning Man’s 10 Principles Got Translated into VR & AltSpace with Athena Demos. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/960-how-burning-mans-10-principles-got-translated-into-vr-altspace-with-athena-demos/.
- Kent Bye & Ben Lang. (2014, June 7) #16: Ben Lang on creating Road to VR & prospecting the potential of VR before the Oculus Rift + State of VR Tech. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/16-ben-lang-on-creating-road-to-vr-prospecting-the-potential-of-vr-before-the-oculus-rift-state-of-vr-tech.
Connecting to Family & Recording Memories
- Kent Bye & Sophia Batchelor. (2019, November 5) #835 XR Ethics: Neuroethics & XR + Brain Computer Interface Privacy Risks. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/835-xr-ethics-neuroethics-xr-brain-computer-interface-privacy-risks/.
- Kent Bye & Sarah Hill. (2016, September 28) #450: Giving Virtual Honor Flights to WWII Veterans with StoryUP VR. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/450-giving-virtual-honor-flights-to-wwii-veterans-with-storyup-vr.
- Kent Bye & Janie Fitzgerald. unpublished interview. Voices of VR Podcast.
Travel
- Kent Bye & Mike Podwal. (2016, November 16) #475: Designing Google Earth VR: The Overview Effect & Finding Common Ground. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/designing-google-earth-vr-the-overview-effect-finding-common-ground.
Augmented Reality, Wayfinding, Location-Based Entertainment, Embodied AI & Virtual Assistants
- Kent Bye & Sarah Northway. (2015, September 1) #202: Open world building & minimalist game design with Fantastic Contraption. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/202-open-world-building-minimalist-game-design-with-fantastic-contraption.
- Kent Bye & Raven Zachary. (2016, April 4) #334: HoloLens Enterprise Mixed Reality Development with Object Theory. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/334-object-theory-on-hololens-enterprise-mixed-reality-development.
- Kent Bye & Kayla Kinnunen. (2016, July 22) #404: Immersive Game Design Lessons from Pokémon Go. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/404-immersive-game-design-lessons-from-pokemon-go.
Telepresence & Remote Work, Productivity, New Spatial Computing Paradigms, Interdisciplinary Collaborations, & New Human-Computer Interaction Paradigms
- Kent Bye & Jeremy Bailenson. (2018, January 30) #616: Jeremy Bailenson’s Academic Journey in VR with “Experience on Demand”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/616-jeremy-bailensons-academic-journey-in-vr-with-experience-on-demand/.
- Kent Bye & Darshan Shankar. (2017, February 28) #510: Bigscreen VR’s Social Utility May Be VR’s First Killer App. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/510-bigscreenvrs-social-utility-may-be-vrs-first-killer-app.
- Kent Bye & Jeep Barnett. (2016, March 23) #326: Valve’s Jeep Barnett on Designing ‘The Lab’. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/326-valves-jeep-barnett-on-designing-the-lab.
- Kent Bye & Nancy Bennett. (2016, February 26) #307: Creating Vivid Memories & Synchronizing VR with Two-Bit Circus. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/307-creating-vivid-memories-synchronizing-vr-with-two-bit-circus.
- Kent Bye & Keiichi Matsuda. (2018, April 10) #639: AR as the Democratization of Architecture, Hands-On Spatial Computing, & Leap Motion’s North Star AR HMD. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/639-ar-as-the-democratization-of-architecture-hands-on-spatial-computing-leap-motions-north-star-ar-hmd/.
The Metaverse, Open Standards like WebXR and OpenXR
- Kent Bye & Aaron Davies. (2014, May 30) #8: Aaron Davies, Head of Developer Relations at Oculus, VR interest beyond gaming from education to virtual comic books, what Facebook brings to Oculus, & potential of the Metaverse. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/8-aaron-davies-head-of-developer-relations-at-oculus-vr-interest-beyond-gaming-from-education-to-virtual-comic-books-what-facebook-brings-to-oculus-potential-of-the-metaverse.
- Kent Bye & Vladimir Vukicevic. (2014, June 4) #13: Vlad Vukicevic on bringing the VR revolution to the web with WebGL. Creating a plug-in free experience with Unity & UE4. JavaScript performance. The future of responsive web deign for VR. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/13-vlad-vukicevic-on-bringing-the-vr-revolution-to-the-web-with-webgl-creating-a-plug-in-free-experience-with-unity-ue4-javascript-performance-the-future-of-responsive-web-deign-for-vr.
- Kent Bye & Philip Rosedale. (2014, June 16) #25: Philip Rosedale on High Fidelity, virtual body language, telepresence, 3D audio, distributed computing, Voxels, cryptocurrencies & the future of the Metaverse. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/25-philip-rosedale-on-high-fidelity-virtual-body-language-telepresence-3d-audio-distributed-computing-voxels-cryptocurrencies-the-future-of-the-metaverse.
- Kent Bye & Joe Ludwig. (2017, February 27) #509: Valve’s Joe Ludwig on Khronos Group’s OpenXR VR Standard. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/509-valves-joe-ludwig-on-khronos-groups-openxr-vr-standard.
Empathy, Immersive Storytelling, Journalism, & Documentary
- Kent Bye & Robin Hunicke. (2016, September 15) #438: “Luna”: A Deep Game, Narrative Puzzler about Recovering From Grief & Trauma. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/438-luna-a-deep-game-narrative-puzzler-about-recovering-from-grief-trauma.
- Kent Bye & Caitlyn Meeks. (2014, June 18) #27: Caitlyn Meeks on the Unity Asset Store, VR integrations, UMA avatar creation, strategy against UE4 & the future of humanities. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/27-caitlyn-meeks-on-the-unity-asset-store-vr-integrations-uma-avatar-creation-strategy-against-ue4-the-future-of-humanities.
- Kent Bye & Paisley Smith. (2018, November 8) #713: Moving Through Grief of Suicide through a Spatial Story in VR with “Homestay”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/713-moving-through-grief-of-suicde-through-a-spatial-story-in-vr-with-homestay/.
- Kent Bye & Nonny de la Pena. (2014, May 28) #6: Nonny de la Peña on Immersive Journalism, Empathy in VR storytelling, Human Rights, Virtual Identity, Diversity in VR & collaborating with Palmer Luckey at USC. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/6-nonny-de-la-pena-on-immersive-journalism-empathy-vr-storytelling-human-rights-virtual-identity-diversity-in-vr-collaborating-with-palmer-luckey-at-usc.
- Kent Bye & Amelia Winger-Bearskin. (2019, August 12) #795: VR Artist Amelia Winger-Bearskin: Designing with Metaphors & Indigenous Perspectives on Time & Individuality. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/795-vr-artist-amelia-winger-bearskin-designing-with-metaphors-indigenous-perspectives-on-time-individuality/.
- Kent Bye & Gabo Arora. (2017, January 31) #499: VR as the Ultimate Empathy Machine with Gabo Arora. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/vr-as-the-ultimate-empathy-machine-with-the-uns-gabo-arora.
- Kent Bye & Zohar Kfir. (2017, June 1) #541: Bearing Witness to Sexual Assault Stories & Healing from Trauma with “Testimony”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/541-bearing-witness-to-sexual-assault-stories-healing-from-trauma-with-testimony/.
- Kent Bye & Roger Ross Williams. (2019, February 20) #742: “Traveling While Black” is a Healing Ritual of Restorative Practices through Immersive Documentary. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/742-traveling-while-black-is-a-healing-ritual-of-restorative-practices-through-immersive-documentary/.
Is it Porn or Gaming that’s Driving VR Innovation?
- Kent Bye & Cris Miranda. (2014, June 27) #36: Cris Miranda on going down the VR rabbit hole with EnterVR podcast, porn and the future of adult entertainment vs. lack of diversity in consumer VR community. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/36-cris-miranda-on-going-down-the-vr-rabbit-hole-with-entervr-podcast-porn-and-the-future-of-adult-entertainment-vs-lack-of-diversity-in-new-vr-community.
- Kent Bye & Ela Darling. (2015, July 24) #175: Virtual Reality Porn: The Future of Intimacy & Sex Using Immersive Technologies. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/175-virtual-reality-porn-the-future-of-intimacy-sex-using-immersive-technologies.
Gaming
- Kent Bye & Nathan Burba. (2014, June 23) #32: Nathan Burba on creating custom VR hardware & untethered VR experiences with Survios, living out action-filled fantasies, & playing games as a part of our fundamental humanity. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/32-nathan-burba-on-creating-custom-vr-hardware-untethered-vr-experiences-with-survios-living-out-action-filled-fantasies-playing-games-as-a-part-of-our-fundamental-humanity.
- Kent Bye & Jaroslav Beck. (2018, May 1) #644: Beat Saber Lets You Become the Music Through Puzzles Your Body Solves. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/644-beat-saber-lets-you-become-the-music-through-puzzles-your-body-solves/.
- Kent Bye & Aaron Stanton. (2018, October 6) #702: The VR Exercise Revolution: Empirical Data from the VR Insitute for Health & Exercise. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/702-the-vr-exercise-revolution-empirical-data-from-the-vr-insitute-for-health-exercise/.
- Kent Bye & Paul Bettner. (2016, February 16) #300: Defining the VR Platformer with Lucky’s Tale. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/300-defining-the-vr-platformer-with-luckys-tale.
- Kent Bye & Nicole Lazzaro. (2015, October 5) #221: Nicole Lazzaro on the Four Keys to Fun in Virtual Reality. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/nicole-lazzaro-on-the-four-keys-to-fun-in-virtual-reality.
- Kent Bye & Paul Raphaël. (2016, December 23) #486: “Everything We Do is Experiential:” The Many Innovations of Felix & Paul Studios. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/everything-we-do-is-experiential-the-many-innovations-of-felix-paul-studios.
Ethical Considerations Including: Addiction & Escapism, Trolling & Harassment, Risks to Privacy via Surveillance Capitalism, & Risks to Neuro-Rights of Agency & Autonomy
- Kent Bye & Karl Krantz. (2016, March 2) #311: Karl Krantz on VR Startups, SVVRCon, & Time Dilation. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/311-karl-krantz-on-vr-startups-svvrcon-time-dilation.
- Kent Bye & Philip Rosedale. (2014, June 16) #25: Philip Rosedale on High Fidelity, virtual body language, telepresence, 3D audio, distributed computing, Voxels, cryptocurrencies & the future of the Metaverse. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/25-philip-rosedale-on-high-fidelity-virtual-body-language-telepresence-3d-audio-distributed-computing-voxels-cryptocurrencies-the-future-of-the-metaverse.
- Kent Bye & Jessica Outlaw. (2019, July 6) #784: Elements of Culture & Cultivating Community with Jessica Outlaw. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/784-elements-of-culture-cultivating-community-with-jessica-outlaw/.
- Kent Bye & Suzanne Leibrick. (2016, May 28) #371: Online Harassment in Virtual Spaces. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/371-online-harassment-in-virtual-spaces.
- Kent Bye & Denny Unger. (2014, June 13) #22: Denny Unger on VR Comfort Mode for locomotion, VR design elements of scale, pacing, & motion tracking + Valve’s VR Room. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/22-denny-unger-on-comfort-mode-for-vr-locomotion-vr-design-elements-of-scale-pacing-motion-tracking-valves-vr-room.
- Kent Bye & Shari Frilot. (2020, March 13) #904 Sundance New Frontier Recap & Themes with Chief Curator Shari Frilot. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/904-sundance-new-frontier-recap-themes-with-chief-curator-shari-frilot/.
- Kent Bye & John Burkhardt. (2017, March 20) #517: Biometric Data Streams & the Unknown Ethical Threshold of Predicting & Controlling Behavior. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/517-biometric-data-streams-the-unknown-ethical-threshold-of-predicting-controlling-behavior.
- Kent Bye & Ian Hamilton. (2019, June 29) #782: Valve Index: The Future of PC VR, Hand Presence, & Impressions from Ian Hamilton & Kent Bye. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/782-valve-index-the-future-of-pc-vr-hand-presence-impressions-from-ian-hamilton-kent-bye/.
Identity, Self-Expression, Psychological Implications of Avatar Embodiment
- Kent Bye & Sarah Downey. (2017, January 13) #493: Is Virtual Reality the Most Powerful Surveillance Technology or Last Bastion of Privacy?. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/is-virtual-reality-the-most-powerful-surveillance-technology-or-last-bastion-of-privacy.
- Kent Bye & Glenn Cantave. (2018, June 18) #656: Racial Justice: Using AR to Reclaim History with Site-Specific Context. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/656-racial-justice-using-ar-to-reclaim-history-with-site-specific-context/.
- Kent Bye & Sook Lei-Liew. (2019, September 12) #813: Neuroscience & VR: DIY BCI with REINVENT & Neurorehabilitation with VR. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/813-neuroscience-vr-diy-bci-with-reinvent-neurorehabilitation-with-vr/.
Accessibility, Diversity & Inclusion, & Sense of Self
- Kent Bye & Donna Davis. (2020, August 19) #934: Accessibility in Virtual Worlds: Lessons from Second Life with Donna Davis. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/934-accessibility-in-virtual-worlds-lessons-from-second-life-with-donna-davis/.
- Kent Bye & Jenn Duong. (2016, June 23) #388: Jenn Duong on Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in VR with SH//FT. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/388-jenn-duong-on-promoting-diversity-and-inclusion-in-vr-with-shft.
- Kent Bye & M Eifler. (2017, March 14) #515: Embodied Cognition Experiments with EleVR’s Math Museums & Hyperbolic Space. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/515-embodied-cognition-experiments-with-elevrs-math-museums-hyperbolic-space.
- Kent Bye & Nitzan Bartov. (2017, March 3) #511: Neurospeculative Afrofeminism: Building the Future You Want to Live Into. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/511-neurospeculative-afrofeminism-building-the-future-you-want-to-live-into.
- Kent Bye & Inarra Saarinen. (2014, July 28) #66: Inarra Saarinen on mixed reality live performances with Ballet Pixelle’s virtual dance company. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/66-inarra-saarinen-on-blending-realities-with-live-virtual-dance-performances-with-ballet-pixelle.
- Kent Bye & Andreea Cojocaru. (2018, December 7) #719: The Phenomenology of Architecture & How VR is Revolutionizing Spatial Design Intuition. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/719-the-phenomenology-of-architecture-how-vr-is-revolutionizing-spatial-design-intuition/.
The Philosophical Implications of XR, Limits to First-person Perspective, Situated Knowledges, Pluralism, & Filter Bubbles of Reality & Worldviews
- Kent Bye & Colum Slevin. (2019, February 20) #740: Facebook/Oculus Head of Experiences on Immersive Storytelling. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/740-facebookoculus-head-of-experiences-on-immersive-storytelling/.
- Kent Bye & Rose Troche. (2016, January 26) #286: Rose Troche on the Vulnerability of a 1st-Person Perspective. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/286-rose-troche-vulnerability-of-1st-person-perspective.
- Kent Bye & Catherine Rehwinkel. (2016, July 29) #408: Situational Knowledges in VR Narrative: The Role of Place & Perspective. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/408-situational-knowledges-in-vr-narrative-the-role-of-place-perspective.
- Kent Bye & Marilyn Schlitz. (2017, August 14) #567: Navigating Paradox, Reality Bubbles, & Multiple Worldviews with VR. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/567-navigating-paradox-reality-bubbles-multiple-worldviews-with-vr/.
- Kent Bye & Kath Duggan. (2019, September 24) #824: Dreams & Symbolic Language of VR: Blurring the Lines of Reality with Punchdrunk. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/824-dreams-symbolic-language-of-vr-blurring-the-lines-of-reality-with-punchdrunk/.
Consciousness Transformation, Activism, & Relational Awareness
- Kent Bye & Cassandra Vieten. (2017, July 27) #560: Models of Consciousness Transformation + Unlocking Latent Human Potentials. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/560-models-of-consciousness-transformation-unlocking-latent-human-potentials/.
- Kent Bye & Michaela French. (2019, December 12) #861 DocLab: Dome Projections & Inspiring Action on Climate Change with Michaela French’s “Climate Crimes”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/861-doclab-dome-projections-inspiring-action-on-climate-change-with-michaela-frenchs-climate-crimes/.
- Kent Bye & Danfung Dennis. (2017, February 25) #508: Using VR as a Tool to Cultivate Compassion with Condition One. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/using-vr-as-a-tool-to-cultivate-compassion-with-condition-one.
Speculative Design, Worldbuilding, Future Dreaming, & Indigenous Futurism
- Kent Bye & Adi Robertson. (2016, March 4) #312: Adi Robertson on Sundance Highlights & VR History. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/312-adi-robertson-on-sundance-highlights-vr-history.
- Kent Bye & Blair Renaud. (2014, June 10) #19: Blair Renaud on Technolust, VR level design, intention behind dystopian cyberpunk & making photoscanned NPCs comfortable. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/19-blair-renaud-on-technolust-vr-level-design-intention-behind-dystopian-cyberpunk-making-photoscanned-npcs-comfortable.
- Kent Bye & Arthur Gillard. (2019, April 2) #750: Lucid Dreaming & VR: How our waking life is becoming more dreamlike. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/750-lucid-dreaming-vr-how-our-waking-life-is-becoming-more-dreamlike/.
- Kent Bye & Monika Bielskyte. (2018, November 6) #712: Sci-Fi Worldbuilding to Collaboratively Shape Protopian Futures with Monika Bielskyte. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/712-sci-fi-worldbuilding-to-imagine-collaboratively-shape-the-future/.
- Kent Bye & Jason Edward Lewis. (2018, June 8) #654: Indigenous Futurism & Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace with Jason Edward Lewis. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/654-indigenous-futurism-aboriginal-territories-in-cyberspace-with-jason-edward-lewis/.
- Kent Bye & Kamal Sinclair. (2021, February 23) #981: Worldbuilding with the Guild of Future Architects’ Futurist Writer’s Room: “Traveling the Intersitium with Octavia Butler”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/981-worldbuilding-with-the-guild-of-future-architects-futurist-writers-room-traveling-the-intersitium-with-octavia-butler/.
- Kent Bye & Ari Melenciano. (2021, February 23) #981: Worldbuilding with the Guild of Future Architects’ Futurist Writer’s Room: “Traveling the Intersitium with Octavia Butler”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/981-worldbuilding-with-the-guild-of-future-architects-futurist-writers-room-traveling-the-intersitium-with-octavia-butler/.
Latent Human Potentials, Expanding Perception, Consciousness Hacking and Transformative Practices, & Cooperative Models of AI Development
- Kent Bye & Cassandra Vieten. (2019, June 23) #777: Psychedelics & VR as Scaffolding to Reach Altered States of Consciousness + Experiential Medicine + Latent Human Potentials. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/777-psychedelics-vr-as-scaffolding-to-reach-altered-states-of-consciousness-experiential-medicine/.
- Kent Bye & Mikey Seagel. (2017, October 11) #585: Consciousness Hacking & VR: Will immersive tech drive addictions or help us transcend compulsions?. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/585-consciousness-hacking-vr-will-immersive-tech-drive-addictions-or-help-us-transcend-compulsions/.
- Kent Bye & Lauren Lee McCarthy. (2021, February 18) #980: Designing Community Worldbuilding Conversations with “Beyond the Breakdown”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/980-designing-community-worldbuilding-conversations-with-beyond-the-breakdown/.
Simulation Theory
- Kent Bye & Robin Arnott. (2020, April 15) #906: “SoundSelf” & The Technodelic Manifesto: Using VR to Transform Consciousness. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/906-sound-self-the-technodelic-manifesto-using-vr-to-transform-consciousness/.
- Kent Bye & Paul Bettner. (2016, February 16) #300: Defining the VR Platformer with Lucky’s Tale. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/300-defining-the-vr-platformer-with-luckys-tale.
- Kent Bye & Celine Tricart. (2019, September 24) #821: Dreams & Symbolic Language of VR: The Embodied Metaphors of “The Key”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/821-dreams-symbolic-language-of-vr-the-embodied-metaphors-of-the-key/.
- Kent Bye & Hassan Karaouni. (2016, December 3) #479: VR & Memory, and Fate vs Free Will in Simulation Theory. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/vr-memory-and-fate-vs-free-will-in-simulation-theory.
- Kent Bye & Matt Segall. (2020, December 10) #965: Primer on Whitehead’s Process Philosophy as a Paradigm Shift & Foundation for Experiential Design. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/primer-on-whiteheads-process-philosophy-as-a-paradigm-shift-foundation-for-experiential-design/.
Virtual Goods and Resources, Environmental Sustainability, More Equitable Access To Experiences, & Limits of Simulation vs Reality
- Kent Bye & Robin Hunicke. (2018, October 9) #704: Embodied Game Design & Experiential Design Insights from Robin Hunicke. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/704-embodied-game-design-experiential-design-insights-from-robin-hunicke/.
- Kent Bye & Jake Rubin. (2017, June 17) #545: AxonVR is Building a Generalized Haptic Display. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/545-axonvr-is-building-a-generalized-haptic-display/.
- Kent Bye & Tipatat Chennavasin. (2015, June 17) #150: Tipatat Chennavasin on the River VR Accelerator by Rothenberg Ventures. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/150-tipatat-chennavasin-on-the-river-vr-accelerator-by-rothenberg-ventures.
- Kent Bye & Tipatat Chennavasin. (2016, June 22) #387: Tipatat Chennavasin on the VR Landscape, AR, Emerging Tech, & VR in China. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/387-tipatat-chennavasin-on-the-vr-landscape-ar-emerging-tech-vr-in-china.
- Kent Bye & Hilmar Petursson. (2015, November 24) #250: Creating Meaning & Saving the World with CCP & Virtual Reality. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/250-creating-meaning-saving-the-world-with-ccp-virtual-reality.
- Kent Bye & Matt Segall. (2020, December 10) #965: Primer on Whitehead’s Process Philosophy as a Paradigm Shift & Foundation for Experiential Design. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/primer-on-whiteheads-process-philosophy-as-a-paradigm-shift-foundation-for-experiential-design/.
- Kent Bye & Jules Urbach. (2018, August 15) #685: Otoy’s Render Token, AI rendering, & Digital Lightfield Holodeck Walls. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/685-otoys-render-token-ai-rendering-digital-lightfield-holodeck-walls/.
Being Able to See Reality in a New Way, and Being In Right Relationship to Ourselves, to Each Other, to the Planet, and to All Aspects of Reality.
- Kent Bye & Android Jones. (2016, November 14) #474: Android Jones on Using VR for Spiritual Transformation & Unlocking Creative Flow. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/474-android-jones-on-using-vr-for-spiritual-transformation-unlocking-creative-flow/.
- Kent Bye & Jon Brouchoud. (2015, October 9) #224: Arch Virtual Says VR Could Transform the Entire Architecture Industry. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/224-arch-virtual-says-vr-could-transform-the-entire-architecture-industry.
- Kent Bye & Jaron Lanier. (2017, December 5) #600: Jaron Lanier’s Journey into VR: “Dawn of the New Everything”. Voices of VR Podcast. https://voicesofvr.com/600-jaron-laniers-journey-into-vr-dawn-of-the-new-everything/.
- Kent Bye & Tom Furness. (2015, November 17) #245: 50 years of VR with Tom Furness: The Super Cockpit, Virtual Retinal Display, HIT Lab, & Virtual World Society. Voices of VR Podcast. http://voicesofvr.com/245-50-years-of-vr-with-tom-furness-the-super-cockpit-virtual-retinal-display-hit-lab-virtual-world-society.
This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon.
Music: Fatality