Virtual reality and videogames: immersion, presence, and the performative spatiality of ‘being there’ in virtual worlds

Abstract

ABSTRACT Virtual worlds and their numerous digital geographies are ubiquitous in everyday life. This article addresses the intersection of two increasingly popular mediums: virtual reality and videogames. It argues that the immersion, presence, or sense of being in a virtual world is performative: that inhabitations of virtual space are constituted through social, cultural, and material relations. Through critical observations of virtual reality videogame play and in-depth interviews with players, this article shows how virtual worlds are socially and culturally shaped spaces of interaction. This article establishes the potential of ongoing geographic engagement with complex virtual worlds and how they exceed any one form or interface. It concludes by suggesting new directions for research in geographies of videogames, virtual worlds, virtual reality and their diverse spatialities.