HANDOUT

What is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality is the use of computer technology to create a stimulated environment. It is
a high-end user interface that involves real-time simulation and interactions through multiple
sensorial channels. The simplest form of virtual reality is a 3-D image that can be explored
interactively at a personal computer, usually by manipulating keys or the mouse so that the
content of the image moves in some direction or zooms in or out.

Virtual reality can be divided into:

The simulation of a real environment for training and education.

The development of an imagined environment for a game or interactive story.

Summary of FlickerFadeGone
A seven year old little boy was walking down the street with his father went in through
the aisles of an arcade full of boys hunching over the machines tapping away at the
buttons and swinging joysticks, their bodies twisting on each of the games rhythms they
are playing. His father plays space invaders, but he died quickly. His father put in a new
quarter, but he died again, then another set of game. On his last game, the coin slot
jammed. So, his father went to the store keeper.

The storekeeper wore a nylon necklace and keys hanging on it. The storekeeper take
the necklace off and put the key into the hole and fix, the machine started up again. He
could still remember the machine and what he felt when the game started. The man
controls all the games, power and pleasure to his hand or on that necklace with keys.
The only thing he couldnt remember was what the man looked like. Then, the boy used
to dream of disappearing. He's facing the mirror and trying to disappear. First, he used to
stare at his reflection at the mirror and then he imagine that his reflection disappears.
That he was no longer there.

For his mother caught him staring at the mirror alone, asks him why is he doing that.
Then, he explains the reason why as his mother grabs his ear and pull him out of the
house and encourage him to mingle with the kids outside that are in reality are loud,
rowdy and rough. Because of the way the kids treat him, he found his self as somebody
inside the loud machines of the arcade. He felt the glimpse of him as a real person in the
electronic world.

When the rest of his family migrated, he dropped out of school and started work as the
shopkeeper of the arcade. He became the master of the key he had been longing for
since his first visit to the arcade. He lived a life centered in the arcade station until he
met his Princess Toadstool. She is a usual arcade visitor that goes every Sunday with
her family. She was the reason why the guy was brought back to the world. He changed
 his perspective about being a superhero not only inside those loud machines but the
possibility of portraying it in the real world.

This typical Friday came, and Princess Toadstool together with his friends came. An
incident happened inside the arcade where the boy with Princess Toadstool, also known
as King Koopa in the boys perspective, started calling the girl st*p#d, a waste of time,
and a mistake to hung out with. At the same moment, he saved the princess by grabbing
King Koopas collar and leading him out of the arcade. The girl thanked him. After that
day, he did not play games. On Sunday, the girl went in with her brothers.

The boy felt disappointed as the girl did not even notice and remember his good deed
last time when he was fixing the machine where the girl is playing. He felt so down and
alone and think that people only notice him because of the key hes wearing that has the
capability in fixing those slot machines in the arcade. By this he realized that the key is
his personality because people only approach him when they needed turn of the key like
what he remembered when he was young, he only remembered the key but not the
holder/person whos owning it.

He played again, waited until he was alone. His face began fading away waited until it
had disappeared. The morning came, the guard saw the gun hanging from its arcade
machine and also the guard saw the copy of the arcades master key. Even the owner
doesnt remembered what the boy looked like. The arcades owner replaced one of the
machine because it wouldnt accept tokens and the display following a distinct rhythm:
bang, bang, bang, reload. This was actually his rhythm, his own rhythm he made only on
his mind.

Analysis
Flicker Fade Gone concentrated on a boys story that has been addicted to arcade or video
games. This story is about seeking our comfort zone with someone or something. It just
chanced that that boy found that someone, his comfort zone into an arcade game or video
games. The arcad became the boys world where he can fit in, a place where he can easily
extend his wings and fly with no uncertainties, a place where in he can passionately articulate
his self with no rules and limitations, a place he can command everything what he wants. As if
he went into another aspect, an aspect wherein he is so potent and he is the boss, an aspect
different from the dimension of reality. He enjoyed every moment he had on playing those video
games, because it is his perfect time to unwind, to escape from the reality and to be free from
the stress and problems he has on the real world. He felt enormous and somebody every time
he plays those video games because its the opposite of the reality, the reality wherein he felt
small to this big world, as if nobody cares for him, nobody could notice him. He's like a thin air
passing through us. He feels invisible and worthless. That's why the world of arcade is very
important to him, because for him, its the only thing that he had.

The moral of this story is that its not bad that sometimes in our life that we dream to live in a
fantasy world, we are considering ourselves to be a princess living in a wonderful castle treated
like a royal person by everyone. But we have to waken up ourselves on the truth that those
stories are just our imagination and will remain as fantasies. We have to instill ourselves that
this world is not a rainbow world filled and always lighten up with colors and happiness. Our life
is a series of a never ending travail, and our role is to be responsible of keeping strong at all
times in dealing the reversal of fortune in life.

What is the relation of the story in Real Life?

Children and Adults now-a-days are very addicted to computer games and other
technologies that can be played. There are games that can affect the mental health of the
players and they can apply this in real life. Some of the games are connected with violence
(killing the opponent, kicking, punching, using harmful objects i.e. gun, knife) and some players
especially the children thought that these actions are right.

How is Virtual Reality depicted on the story?

It shows how fantasies differ from the reality. In the story, virtual reality, when the boy
realized that what he dreamt in the virtual reality will never become real. It talks about
how virtual reality affects a person on how he socializes with other people, that video
games are not good for people because it shapes our mind to believe that the fantasy
world is the real world. The boy realized that the graphic world was not for him, that he
should start fixing his life and socializes with other people, so he didnt come back to the
arcade.

How technology affects the thinking and behavior of the youth?

Advantages:

Helps improve a persons analytical thinking.

Helps a person improve his hand-eye coordination, find motor and spatial skills.

Improves a persons perseverance, wherein a person never gives up, keeps on trying
until he succeeds.

Helps a person improves his concentration

Helps improves a person to manage things

Helps a person build up his ability to cooperate with other peopleteamwork.

Disadvantages:

A person is introduced to violence, which a game contains. It makes a person behave

emphatically.

A person is isolated, worsening his ability to socialize

 A person tends to be aggressive.

Video game teaches children the wrong values.

Children is vulnerable to bad language and bad behaviors showed in the games

Addiction