The Matrix Vs Warren Robinett

3 Pages 842 Words

Robinett’s Prequel to the Matrix
“Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real. What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” (The Matrix) Those words may not be science fiction for very long. In the late twentieth century, a concept called virtual reality was developed. From the name, a person could tell that it was some sort of alternative reality involving computers. In 1991, Warren Robinett wrote an article called “Electronic Expansion of Human Perception,” which defines virtual reality as “a 3D video game you can enter by strapping something onto your face that fools your senses into perceiving an environment that surrounds you on all sides” (Robinett, 275). Robinett believes that with Virtual reality systems, our lives will become virtually easier. In the same decade, brothers by the name of Larry and Andy Wachowski wrote and directed a movie called The Matrix. The Matrix takes place in the year 2199, where machines have taken control of the earth. Humans, on the other hand, are being are kept alive only to operate as batteries for the machines.
The year is 2003, and our world is becoming increasingly dependant on computers. Computers are our source of information, our shopping center, and for many, a place to work and pay the bills. I believe that with all of our technological advances, the road that Robinett wants us to follow will lead humans into the Wachowski brother’s fiction.
One of Robinett’s points is to explain that virtual reality’s Head-Mounted displays can be for more than entertainment. The uses of the Head-Mounted display can be to enhance our senses, control remote presence, and to operate on giant or microscopic objects. Robinett states, “’Being somewhere’ consist of being able to look around at the things that surround you, to touch them, to walk around, and to hear, feel, a...