International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • Netflix House venues (including in Philadelphia) to let fans immerse themselves in entertainment worlds

    Published:

    [As Phillyvoice, reports, Netflix is planning to open large brick-and-mortar venues that combine permanent immersive experiences based on its film and television properties with dining, retail and other activities. The first tentative announced location is in the King of Prussia mall in Philadelphia (the third largest mall in the U.S.). The Bloomberg story linked in this report is behind a paywall, but Smithsonian Magazine has similar details and includes this: “We’ve seen how much fans love to immerse themselves in the world of our movies and TV shows, and we’ve been thinking a lot about how we take that to…

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  • Call: The Lyceum Project: AI Ethics with Aristotle

    Published:

    CALL FOR PAPERS THE LYCEUM PROJECT: AI ETHICS WITH ARISTOTLE June 20, 2024 Athens, Greece https://www.oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk/lyceum-project-ai-ethics-aristotle Submission deadline: April 30, 2024 Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics in AI, in collaboration with Stanford University, Greece’s National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos“, and the World Human Forum will hold a one-day conference on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), ‘The Lyceum Project’, in Athens on June 20, 2024. The venue for the event will be the Athens Conservatory which is adjacent to the ancient site of Aristotle’s school, the Lyceum. The Lyceum Project is premised on the belief that Aristotelian ethics contains…

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  • Expert prediction: ‘Millions, then billions’ of humanoid robots are coming

    Published:

    [Although they don’t address the important questions about how humanoid robots will evoke medium-as-social-actor presence perceptions and social responses on their way to being integrated into human society, experts are predicting a huge market for the robots in both industrial and consumer sectors, as reported in this story from Inc. See also “The Rise of Humanoids, Explained” from Fund management company Global X ETFs (where the report includes some intriguing charts and other graphics). –Matthew] [Image: Source: Peter Diamandis blog] Peter Diamandis Predicts ‘Millions, Then Billions’ of Humanoid Robots Are Coming The entrepreneur and futurist expects advancements in AI and…

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  • Call: Consensual Play issue of The Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds

    Published:

    Call for Papers Consensual Play Guest-edited issue of The Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds https://www.intellectbooks.com/journal-of-gaming-virtual-worlds Deadline for submissions: April 30, 2024 The Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds invites submissions for a guest edited special issue exploring consent in games. The issues surrounding consent are far-reaching, and what constitutes consent continues to be a live subject of debate in wide-ranging arenas (including healthcare choices, data access, gun ownership rights, and sexual assault). As discussions around consent and entitlement swirl around the public sphere, game scholars and designers have a critical opportunity to explore this crucial cultural conversation through the…

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  • VR headsets are approaching the eye’s resolution limits

    Published:

    [Despite remaining challenges, this IEEE Spectrum update about the quest for improved visual resolution, and thus perceived realism and compelling presence experiences, includes this key quote: “[T]he latest headsets with the best display technology are close to achieving what [Varjo Chief Product Officer Patrick] Wyatt calls the ‘human resolution bar’—the limit past which a person with 20/20 vision will no longer see an improvement. Future displays will eventually exceed it.” –Matthew] [Image: Varjo’s XR-4 headset features a resolution nearing 4K per eye—which approaches the equivalent of 20/20 vision. Credit: Varjo] VR Headsets Are Approaching the Eye’s Resolution Limits Some manufacturers…

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  • Call: 27th CyberPsychology, CyberTherapy, and Social Networking Conference

    Published:

    Call for Abstracts 27th Annual CyberPsychology, CyberTherapy, and Social Networking Conference (CYPSY27) Social, Clinical, and Affective Neurosciences meet Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies to Extend Reality Sponsored by Arizona State University and Interactive Media Institute September 24-26, 2024 Tempe, Arizona, USA Conference: https://www.cypsy27.com Enquiries: cypsy27@asu.edu Deadline for submission of abstracts: April 15, 2024 Guidelines and link for submissions: https://na.eventscloud.com/website/62120/abstracts/ On behalf of this year’s Conference Co-Chairs, Professors Thomas D. Parsons and Brenda K. Wiederhold, it is our pleasure to invite you to join us at the 27th Annual International CyberPsychology, CyberTherapy & Social Networking Conference (CYPSY27), in September 2024. The…

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  • Immersive fantasy events gaining popularity among Millennial and Gen Z consumers

    Published:

    [Not all presence experiences are created in digital environments. As this CNN story notes, immersive fantasy experiences in theme parks, at Renaissance fairs, and at science fiction and fantasy conventions have been around for decades. But the pandemic and political polarization have contributed to the growing popularity of “fantasy-themed balls, masquerades and similar immersive events for adults.” See the original version of the story for four more images. –Matthew] [Image: Guests at a fantasy ball participate in a choreographed dance on Aug. 20, 2022 in South Bend, Indiana. Credit: Thistle + Lace Photography] Belle of the book ball: Book Tok…

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  • Call: Chapters for “Future of Digital Technology and AI in Social Sectors”

    Published:

    Call for Chapters: Future of Digital Technology and AI in Social Sectors IGI Global https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/7350 Editors: Duygu Çelik Ertuğrul, Eastern Mediterranean U., TRNC, Turkey Atilla Elci, Hasan Kalyoncu University, Turkey Proposal submission deadline: March 31, 2024 INTRODUCTION This publication will focus on the wide-ranging and interdisciplinary effects of emerging technologies on various social sectors. The aim is to explore how these technologies are influencing and changing the realms of social sciences, education, law & policy, tourism, health, environment, communication, business & management, and security. Submissions are invited to examine the implications and outcomes of these advancements, as well as the…

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  • Overlooking the role of technology in invisible VFX

    Published:

    [Although we recognize the use of digital effects in some (e.g., science fiction and fantasy) films and television programs, in a common and extremely effective form of presence we completely overlook the role of many sophisticated digital manipulations used by visual effects artists to make the people and settings in films and programs appear realistic and natural. Some of these manipulations are described in this New York Times story (see the original version for two more images). –Matthew] [Image: Digital effects were used to create the background of this scene from “Roma.” Credit: Netflix] It’s a Visual Effects Extravaganza, but…

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  • Call: The Art of Storytelling: Archetypes in Focus (Hybrid conference)

    Published:

    Call for Proposals The Art of Storytelling: Archetypes in Focus Sponsored by London Arts-Based Research Centre May 27-28, 2024 Edinburgh, United Kingdom and Online https://labrc.co.uk/2024/02/11/storytelling/ Deadline for submission of abstracts: April 14, 2024 This conference aims to gather both creatives and scholars to discuss the diverse types, functions, and significance of storytelling. “The power of stories lies in their ability to access the deep layers of the psyche, providing a mirror to our inner world.” – Marie-Louise Von Franz As aptly stated by Jimmy Neil Smith, “We are all storytellers. We all live in a network of stories. There isn’t…

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  • The future of entertaining virtual reality is at gaming arcades

    Published:

    [This essay from TheGamer argues that the entertaining presence experiences provided by virtual reality will be most popular and practical in an updated version of gaming arcades (sadly, a particularly compelling and fun multi-player VR attraction, Dreamscape, just closed its flagship location in Los Angeles after six years). See the original TheGamer story for three more images, and visit the website of the mentioned Two Bit Circus arcade for more information about that venue. –Matthew] The Future Of Virtual Reality Is Co-operative Experiences Virtual reality shouldn’t be targeting regular consumers, it should look to revive arcade gaming By Ben Sledge…

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  • Call: Communication, Digital Conversation, and Media Technologies minitrack of Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-58)

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    [Note: For other HICSS tracks and minitracks related to presence see https://hicss.hawaii.edu/tracks-and-minitracks/ –Matthew] Call for Papers Communication, Digital Conversation, and Media Technologies minitrack https://CommunicationHicss.wordpress.com/ HICSS – Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences January 7-10, 2025 Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, USA http://hicss.hawaii.edu/ Submission deadline: June 15, 2024 Dear colleagues, We invite you to submit your research to the HICSS Communication, Digital Conversation, and Media Technologies minitrack. This minitrack focuses on the study of communication taking place on digital and social media. Communication is the making of meaning and culture among people, with…

    Read more: Call: Communication, Digital Conversation, and Media Technologies minitrack of Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-58)

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