The Vision and the Creation

The Vision and the Creation

September 29, 2004

>Dream World vs. Game World

Intro: This class is very interesting and enjoyable because it is an opportunity for students to explore the deeper levels in themes of the unknown and analyze the various theories found in science fiction. So far examples of major themes covered are, reality, fate, dreams and games. The determination of what people should choose to believe is defined by what they are exposed to. Nothing is for certain. In life, especially in these modern times (with all the technology), people are allowed to explore the “real”, “dream” and “game” worlds. The features that should be used to identify and tell the worlds apart are questioned in the film “eXistenZ” and the book The Lathe of Heaven.

The film “eXistenZ” is a portrayal of an abstract science fiction idea of the gaming world. Although both the dream and game worlds are places created the mind and separate from ‘reality’, they are not the same. The world of Dream has limitless possibilities in which there may, or may not be an objective and nothing has been predestined. Game worlds are like doll houses, where there are boundaries and certain things must take place in order to proceed, and there are creators and controllers who have mapped out the themes, features, characters and every other detail; anything not designed to specifically be in the game is nonexistent.

The world is a creation made in consciousness out of ideas sparked from outside influences as well as the subconscious. The fact that it was made also implies that there are certain restrictions of the game world (which could also make it easier to comprehend than the dream world). In conclusion, a dream world is merely a vision while the game world is a creation.