Show and Tell: Sword Art Online

My show and tell presentation was about the premise of the anime series, Sword Art Online. This show explores what would happen if virtual reality technology and self-running and regulating programming became a widely-used technology in society for recreation, and how it could be used by corporations and individuals to harm those using the technology. I thought that this had a lot in common with the points made in our readings on Enlightenment, as well as with a few other well-known movies / concepts such as The Matrix.

Essentially, in this show, virtual reality is mostly used in the gaming industry, and VR headsets have replaced gaming consoles.

When players become trapped in an all-immersive virtual reality game, unable to log out, they are forced to complete the game to earn their freedom. It is made clear eventually that the game isn't actually being fully monitored, more that the game's creator / administrator is letting Cardinal, a self-regulating mass program hub, run the game and control. Further on in the series, it becomes less clear who is in charge: the administrator, or the Cardinal system.

This show displayed themes found in the Enlightenment texts we read for class. The concept of reliance on new media leading to the perpetual ignorance of those who use them is especially prominent in this text. The fact that all of the players who logged into the game immediately trusted the new technology to entertain them, eventually leading to their deception and entrapment is a perfect example of  the 'enlightenment' that new media can seek to provide. 

In class, while discussing other connections that were present, The Matrix was brought up, as well as the concept of relative reality in new media. What's especially interesting about this show - as  well as many other new content such as Black Mirror and a myriad of other games, movies, etc. which discuss this very topic - is that some of the victims of such entrapment soon become willing participants in the farce, believing it to be their reality, regardless of the facts.