Abstract:

Presence, or immersion, has long been the holy grail of virtual world design and so is subject to much hype. I deal with many questions and paradoxes concerning presence which arise not least from the limiting effects of scientific definitions, our anthropocentric worldview, and poor virtual simulations of real-world environments. I close with some thoughts on how a thorough understanding of presence is critical to multiple areas including future AI developments.

Biography:

Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard has published on subjects as diverse as sound, biofeedback in computer games, virtuality, the Uncanny Valley, presence/immersion, ultrasound, and IT systems, and he also writes free, opensource software for virtual research environments (WIKINDX). His presentations include keynote addresses and public talks, and he is a member of the Oxford Handbooks Online Music Advisory Board. Mark is series editor for the Palgrave Macmillan series Palgrave Studies in Sound, and his books include the anthologies The Oxford Handbook of Virtuality (OUP 2014), The Oxford Handbook of Sound & Imagination (OUP 2019), The Oxford Handbook of Video Game Music & Sound (OUP 2024), and the co-authored monographs Sonic Virtuality (OUP 2015) and The Recording, Mixing, & Mastering Reference Handbook (OUP 2019).