A Better 'Reality'?

When you are playing The Sims, it is easy for time to get away from you. We all know the feeling of seeing the time and realising a couple hours had actually passed since starting The Sims. For those couple of hours, you were living a 'second life.' For those couple of hours you were living a hyperreality in a virtual reality world.

Hyperreality is 'a condition in which "reality" has been replaced by simulacra' (Baudrillard, 1988). Although the game may represent real life situations and locations, you (the user) are the real creator, you are essentially playing god. You get to control what you look like and how you are perceived by others, you get to control what your sim does next or what job they have. 

The latest addition to The Sim's expansion packs

Does your avatar really look like you? Did you make your avatar skinnier, taller or more attractive than you perceive yourself? Lee (2003) suggests that it may be a projection of the ideal version of yourself. It seems that to some people, living a life that you have complete control over is much more appealing than facing the ups and downs of everyday life.

In the future, will we all live through online personalities? As social media and virtual hyperreality games continue to become more popular, it mean that ordinary interaction in real life situations is instead replaced with a chat bar on an online role-playing game.