Immersion
Inspired by watching teenagers absorbed in computer games in Chinese internet cafés, Cooper’s portraits capture everyday people as they become immersed in different types of media.
Shot through the screen, these images are single frames taken from high-definition video footage. Filming long periods of video helps Cooper’s models to forget they’re being photographed and results in natural moments of unguarded behaviour.
Screen literacy
“New technology is nudging the book aside and catapulting images to the center of the culture. We are becoming people of the screen.”
—Kevin Kelly, co-founder of Wired magazine, 2008
British teenagers spend an average of six hours a day in front of screens. American adults spend an average of eight hours a day in front of screens. Face-to-face social interaction has fallen from six hours a day to two hours a day within the last 20 years.
We live in a society dominated by screens. Computers, digital television and mobile technology offer greater choice of how we consume media and have led to a rise in the time many people spend playing games, surfing the internet and watching television. This increased immersion in screen-based media has contributed to a dramatic decline in the time people interact face-to-face.
Has modern technology helped create a better connected society of happy, communicative citizens, or has it encouraged people to become more individually isolated, antisocial and separated from the real world?
Similar questions have been raised before about the popularisation of reading and writing. Greek philosopher Socrates argued that writing destroys memory and weakens the mind by relieving it of work that makes it strong. Johannes Gutenburg’s invention of the moveable-type printing press in 1439 revolutionised the production of printed media.
By Victorian times, the availability of cheap reading materials led to concerns that print was having a damaging effect on society. Cardinal John Henry Newman argued that it cheapened the experience of learning and was an impersonal form of information communication.
The growth of film, television and the evolution of computer technology over the last sixty years has led to a media revolution comparable to the Gutenberg shift. The invention of mass printing techniques created affordable books for the masses and encouraged a great surge in literacy. The ease of buying and using electronic devices has created a world in which people are surrounded by media and the need to be screen literate is more pressing than ever.
Children and the screen
“There is nothing wrong with cartoons, just as there is nothing wrong with ice cream, but there’s plenty wrong with both if that’s the only thing a child gets.”
—Anne Wood, co-creator of Teletubbies, 2007
Robbie Cooper’s images capture children getting to grips with screen media for the first time. The faces of the young children watching television programmes express wonder, bemusement and pure joy. Cooper’s subjects are engrossed in colourful, dream-like worlds that are designed to comfort children by reflecting their outlook on the world. Many programmes are also scripted to help toddlers understand notions of sharing, forgiveness, family and friendship.
While television can stimulate learning, increase vocabulary, encourage creativity and open up a world of stories and new experiences for children, it also has its critics. In the Night Garden’s use of minimal English has been derided for endangering future generations’ language skills. Watching too much television early in life has been blamed for encouraging passivity and decreasing concentration levels.
Neurodevelopmental research indicates that, unlike other bodily organs, the human brain is embryonic at birth and completes the majority of its neural architecture in response to environmental stimuli over the first two years of life. If a child spends too much time gazing at screens, it can endanger their chances of developing understanding of the tangible world.
The expressions on the older children’s faces show intense concentration. They are playing their favourite videogames and navigating their way through complex simulated worlds. The control systems for these games demand precise hand-to-eye coordination and fluent, intelligent understanding of how to interact with a virtual environment. Just like a good book, many games are designed to keep the player hooked for hours and demand commitment to reach the next chapter.
Videogames are a compulsive medium and provide an immersive world to escape into. This alluring alternative to reality can be very addictive, and can begin to impact on real life if left unchecked. Concerns around videogames include worries that the medium is socially isolating and easily addictive. Yet much videogame play is a very social experience and provides an activity to share with friends and family.
Alternative realities
“Games are dramatic models of our psychological lives providing release of particular tensions.”
—Marshall McLuhan, philosopher and media theorist, 1964
Videogames create fictional digital realms in which players can experiment with ideas and release frustration without impacting on the real world. Many of the games chosen by Robbie Cooper’s subjects contain adult themes and violence and come with an age restriction. Cooper has not influenced the models’ choice of games; they have chosen games they already play at home with full parental consent. Cooper has merely recreated a social reality within the photography studio.
Extreme reactions to videogames include reports of increased aggressiveness and anti-social behaviour, although many of these studies have been criticised for being inconclusive and misdirecting.
In the 1980s, violent horror films were judged by the Obscene Publications Act to deprave and corrupt young minds and the term ‘video nasty’ was coined. As with videogames, direct links have been made between the watching of violent films and real-life murder. The added ingredient of interaction does set gaming apart, but reasons for antisocial behaviour are more usually linked to immediate, real-world influences such as quality of home life and mental stability.
A selection of Cooper’s images depicts young adults watching horror, both real and fantasy. Their expressions of shock and enthrallment coupled with the blank-canvas background create an impression of isolation and creeping anxiety. The thrill of danger and excitement evoked by watching something that might disturb the viewer makes horror footage an appealing medium.
‘Gorno’ films such as Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005) exploited the human fascination of viewing torture and bodily mutilation. These films are designed to provoke visceral reactions from spectators, leading to parallels between torture horror and pornography; plot is secondary to the violence, used purely to build anticipation between climactic action scenes.
Cooper has also captured intimate and unsettling footage of adults watching their favourite pornography. They have transcended self-consciousness and are caught in a physical reaction to what they see on screen. Pornography is another form of simulated experience that provides momentary escape from reality. The viewers can place themselves within the screen world and act out their desires and fantasies with total control.
Claims that violent and sexually explicit media desensitises society are hotly disputed, with many critics arguing that there are too many factors to produce any conclusive academic research. However, the rise of broadband internet and multi-channel digital television undoubtedly makes extreme images—whether violent or sexual—easier to access than ever before.
Alter Ego
Alter Ego is a series of portraits that places players of online worlds alongside their virtual identities.
Inspired by meeting a man who conversed with his children through a computer game, Robbie Cooper spent the next three years travelling to America, Asia and Europe, meeting gamers and recording their experiences of virtual worlds.
Collectively, Cooper’s images provide a valuable insight into a phenomenon that is shaping the future of human interaction.
Virtual worlds and avatars
“We say they’re only games, these little worlds, but often we end up devoting more time to them than to any other realm of our existence, until it starts to make less sense to think of our avatars as fictional characters than as second selves.”
—Julian Dibble, author and digital culture journalist, 2007
Virtual worlds are online environments that people can experience and interact with together in real-time. They are often based within a fantasy universe, and players are represented by their avatar, which can be customised to suit their taste. The word ‘avatar’ is originally derived from the Sanskrit that refers to the visible form a Hindu god will take after they have descended into the mortal world.
The first online virtual world was created by Roy Trubshaw and Richard Bartle at Essex University in 1978. Known as MUD, an acronym for ‘MultiUser Dungeon’, the game world was described entirely in text and players had to type commands to interact with the environment. MUD became very popular across the University computer network and gave rise to a new genre of game.
Virtual worlds are now immensely popular and have formed a highly successful global entertainment industry. Blizzard’s World of Warcraft has one of the largest followings, with over 11 million worldwide subscribers.
In what is also known as a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), players are encouraged to team-up to complete quests, gain experience points and improve their avatar. Another well-known virtual world is Linden Labs’ Second Life, which rose to fame in 2006. Second Life was the first online simulation that allowed users to buy and sell land, build houses and trade virtual goods they had made themselves.
Cyber society
Virtual worlds can be incredibly immersive environments, full of adventures, characters and stories that can provide a welcome release from everyday life. Many quests require teamwork with other players and communication through text or voice chat. Players can also create groups known as ‘guilds’ or ‘clans’ to feel part of a community. This can lead to relative strangers forming close friendships.
“Not long after I started playing, I met a woman who went by the name ‘Tropical Storm’. We started hanging out together and going on raids and dungeon crawls. I know it probably sounds odd to non-gamers, but our friendship meant a lot to me.”
—Kim Nyvang, butcher and EverQuest player
Couples and friends also use virtual worlds to have fun together and extend their real-world relationship.
“Like many young couples, we enjoy going to the movies, going out to dinner, or just hanging out. We also like playing videogames together. It’s a very popular dating activity in Korea. For us, there’s a clear boundary between the game and real life. Neither of us is deeply invested in our character. We play just for fun.”
—Lee Taek Soo, office worker and World of Warcraft player
Real-life first impressions are often governed by someone’s physical appearance. Online, physical features are irrelevant and character is one of the most important assets. Jason Rowe has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a physical disability that means the only muscles he can move are in his thumbs. Jason plays Star Wars Galaxies, an online multiplayer game set within the Stars Wars universe, an average of 80 hours a week.
“Virtual worlds bring people together—everyone is on common ground. In the real world, people can be uncomfortable around me before they get to know me and realise that, apart from my outer appearance, I’m just like them.”
—Jason Rowe, Star Wars Galaxies player
Creating a new online identity can be a liberating experience and allow players to explore different aspects of their personality, without fear of real-world social constraints.
“By playing as a guy, I found that people treated me differently. Being a guy enabled me to form relationships that I would never otherwise be able to experience.”
—Rebecca Glasure, housewife and City of Heroes player
Virtual worlds are designed to be a very addictive medium, constantly urging the player to complete the next quest. The constant need to progress through the game, upgrade your avatar and pressure from other players to keep playing can have damaging, real-life, effects.
“For a while I’d be playing up to 12 hours a day to try and get into the top ranks. It’s not really about winning—you can’t win EverQuest, there’s no end to it. I just wanted to win respect from people in the game, to be somebody in the EverQuest world. But it cost me. Everything else in my life started to suffer—my social life, my schoolwork, even my health.”
—Lucas Shaw, student and EverQuest player
Virtual economy
Many online games have their own economy and players can buy and trade virtual assets for virtual money. In-game currency can then be converted into real-world money at a very low exchange rate. For instance, 250 Linden Dollars in Second Life equals around one US dollar. Some players earn enough money through virtual worlds to make it a full-time profession.
“I run a company called The Magicians that develops interactive content on the Second Life platform. One day I decided my avatar should have a tail. I made one using the 3D modelling tools built into Second Life. Other people wanted a tail like this too, so I put it on sale in Lotus, my shop in Second Life. It sells quite well. I sell other things I’ve made—flapping wings, glowing crystal balls, bowls of swirling colour-changing butterflies and all sorts of other pretty, magical things.”
—Kimberly Rufer-Bach, software developer and Second Life entrepreneur
Collecting experience points and building up a character demands time and effort, often asking the player to repeat tedious tasks. This has led to the creation of a new profession called ‘Power Levelling’ that is popular in China and South Korea. Players pay Power Levellers to improve their avatar and collect valuable items while they’re away from the computer to save time and make progress quickly.
Some Power Levellers create computer code, or ‘bots’, to automate the process. This kind of activity is controversial and viewed by some members of the virtual world community as an unfair violation of the rules that damages the game’s economy.
“Think of me as a personal fitness trainer for your avatar. The first few weeks of many online games are a grind. Walk into a dungeon, find a monster, kill it, heal up, find another monster, kill it, and so on, over and over again. It’s boring. Computers are very good at automating repetitive tasks. So I figured, why not write a program that will play my character for me, so I can just skip to the fun part?”
—Xu Wei Qing, professional Legend of Mir power leveller
Choi Seang Rak is a professor of economics and public policy at Dongguk University in Seoul, South Korea. He sells weapons in the online game Lineage and analyses the virtual market to find the best deal. So far he’s amassed around $15,000 in profit.
“My teaching duties don’t leave me much time to play, but my avatar is logged in 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She sits in the market place, buying and selling items while I’m away at work. People buy more from my little girl dwarf compared to the old male dwarf I used to have, even though they sell the same things. Because I’m very polite, people think I really am a little girl.”
—Choi Seang Rak, University professor and Lineage II player
The scale of virtual trading is so great that economist Edward Castronova calculated that if Norrath (the world in online game EverQuest) were a real country, it would rank as the 77th wealthiest nation on earth.
The future of online life
“I wanted to create a digital version of reality, and specifically wanted to make a place where many people could build things together and generally explore their imaginations. As thinking beings, we can imagine a world much better than the real one. Second Life lets us actually build that imagined place.”
—Philip Rosedale, founder of Second Life
The population of virtual worlds continue to grow. In the future, graphics and game speed will improve as computer hardware and internet bandwidth is upgraded.
The Far East leads the way in terms of broadband penetration and the amount of people logging into online worlds. 15 million South Koreans are members of the Cyworld social universe, and the Maple Story role-playing game has a membership of over 30 million players across Asia. This has led to a generational divide as more young people turn onto virtual worlds and switch off from the real world.
The word ‘hikikomori’ is used to describe Japanese youths who withdraw themselves from society and communicate with others purely through digital devices.
“Divorced from the very human responsibility to contact and interact directly with other living beings, we may feel hollowed out, emptied of the sense of an evolving self that can make existence worth its painful bouts of adversity and growth. A life spent lurking too long in the shadows of the virtual world might turn out to be no life at all.”
—Roland Nozomu Kelts, author and lecturer, 2009
Many online games are now aimed towards children. Disney’s cartoon world, Club Penguin, has over 10 million users, and Lego Universe is due to be launched in 2010. These are simple to play and lower the age threshold to help children learn how to participate within multiplayer alternate realities.
The mainstream popularity of social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter has proven that online life can easily merge with the offline world, becoming part of a daily routine. For instance, Facebook multiplayer farming simulator Farmville has over 70 million players. Experts predict that this trend will continue and networking sites will start to blur into virtual worlds as they become even more immersive experiences.
“Synthetic worlds have the potential to become permanent homes for the conscious self. Should the mind end up being fully hosted by a synthetic world, virtually all of its perceptive and sense inputs are mediated by an artificial intelligence agent that is programmed by some Other. There is obvious potential for abuse in this arrangement.”
—Edward Castronova, economist and virtual world expert, 2005
About Robbie Cooper
Robbie Cooper was born in London in 1969. He was educated in Kenya and the UK, and studied media production at Bournemouth College of Art.
Cooper won the Ian Parry Scholarship for young photojournalists, for work on the famine and civil war in Somalia.
For the next 14 years he worked for Sunday supplements and magazines around the world. His work has been published in the Sunday Times magazine, Libération, Geo, GQ, Esquire, New York Times Magazine, L’espresso, El Pais,The Telegraph, The Independent
and Le Monde.
In 2002 Cooper embarked on Alter Ego, a long-term project that explores virtual online worlds and the identities people create within them. His Alter Ego photographs have been exhibited in London, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Berlin, New York and Los Angeles. Each portrait includes text written by the subject that records their online experiences. Alter Ego was published as a book in 2007.
In 2007 Cooper gave up photojournalism in favour of video and large-format photography. He is particularly interested in using high-resolution video for the simultaneous production of video and stills. Over time Immersion will build into a body of work which captures people of all ages watching films and television, playing videogames and using the internet.