...Or something from the past?

Keep in mind that the word "multimedia" means literally a system of communication which goes through several "media" (video, music, writings) at the same time. And for "virtuality" is something that tries to break from the common reality to make it appear "another one"

I gave my best to make my terrible english understandable

So what's your opinion?

I'm not 100% sure about virtuality, but however, I believe both term have been invented in the "digital age". You are right about their literal meaning but I think that wasn't the case when they first appeared in use. Term multimedia is practically always involved with some kind of electronics because that's the only way to watch videos and that is in most cases related to "multimedia show".

I have never heard that virtuality would mead anything else than a world/dimension/whatever created by computers. I don't have any other argument why that wouldn't be from the past but just believe so.

Well? Too hard question? is DecalMirror the only brave who tried to face this topic? Come on guys, we are a forum of computer-eating freaks, after all.

I see media as any way of expressing ideas. So multimedia IMO could be as simple as making hand gestures while talking, making a funy face while telling a story, or even puting lyrics to music. So I would say multimedia has been around since the neolithic age. And as far as virtuallity, anyone who's ever read a great book would tell you that's been around for awhile.

Actually, multimedia is a relatively new term, the phrase was coined in the early 1960's with the increased proliferation of televisions in American homes.

"Virtuality" is sort of a gimmick word. However, the term virtual has been around since ancient times. The roots being based in Middle English and Middle Latin. The concept of 'virtual reality' can be dated back to medieval times. As we live in a digital age the term has taken on the connotation of it meaning specifically a digitally created reality. In truth, great authors of fiction have been providing us with wonderful virtual worlds in which humans have been able to lose themselves. Books and stories, like digital media, also, offered the opportunity to live vicariously to a lesser extent. However, the virtual realities of the past required one very crucial component. The reader MUST have an imagination. I sometimes wish that time could roll back, because, now, people, or the greatest majority of people cannot think or imagine for themselves due to digital media.

As a child, my friends and I invented games, made up stories and acted those stories, we played as our own superheros which we created, now, all you have to do is press a button, grab a controller and blam you're playing as someone else's superhero, and, what's worse, is you're not even getting the exercise to make your hero run.

For me virtual reality is something concrete as gameworlds and such things(well, you can't touch them, but they still exist in front of you when you play games). The imaginary worlds that occurs when you're reading books or playing some live games are not virtual reality in my understanding.

Yes, i take your point, i havent thought of books as virtual reality, but what Eiden said is very interesting, i should think more about his position.

One thing i'm sure: (and it seems that it's the common opinion around here) Vituality is NOT something new. It's a very ancient concept, from our most ancient times. For example the houses in ancient Roma were full of paintings on the walls that virtually opened beautiful views over non existing but naturalistic landscapes. The bizantine mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a simple and plain building from the outside, but inside the space changes from square geometry to more smooth geometry, and the mosaics on the walls make the walls seem to vanish.





Of course virtuality follows multimedia and viceversa: The graphics accompany the architecture and the visitor can do nothing but make use of both at the same time... and so it's for the lights, the type of space, the materials...

I could post more examples but i'd also like you to post yours! this is a subject that always fascinated me, and i'd be very interested in seeing what is your opinion about this!

I like that last reply