Through the Looking Glass Sharply - The Video Game Industry: Formation, Present State, and Future - page 236

Table 12.3 Visions from Snow Crash

Item Page From the virtual world Comments

1.1 Description 23-25 Crowded street of length

longer than Earth's circum-
ference. Access limited only
by purchasing power—sixty
million with proper computer,
another sixty million with
public access.

Larger in scale than present
games, but general description
of virtual words and access
limitations.

1.2 Appearances 33 “He is not seeing real people,

of course. . . . The people are
pieces of software called ava-
tars. They are the audiovisual
bodies people use to commu-
nicate with each other . . .”

Popularity of term avatar stems
from Snow Crash .

1.3 Facial
expressions

35&53 (An of -the-shelf avatar) “has

a limited repertoire of facial
expressions” and “She (Juan-
ita Marquez) was the face
department, because nobody
thought them important.”

Stephenson is anticipating
that facial expressions will be
developed and they will be an
extension of actual feelings.

1.4 Living in
the Metaverse

58 “When you live in a shithole,

there's always the Metaverse
and in the Metaverse, Hiro
Protagonist is a warrior
prince.”

Economically and physically,
life can be so much better in
the virtual world.

1.5 Research in
the Metaverse

99 “The Librarian daemon looks

like a pleasant, fi ftyish, silver-
haired, bearded man . . .”

Research is (will be) indi-
vidualistic and provided by
an avatar.

1.6 Meetings in
the Metaverse

207-209 Y. T. met Ng on Metaverse as

she was waiting to meet him
in person in physical world.

In virtual world one could
be much dif erent than in
physical.

2.1 Special
goggles

22 Special apparatus to present

3-D and stereo sound.

Anticipating some develop-
ments yet to come in viewing.

2.2 Smart
wheels

26 & 251 Advanced development in
wheels that produce instanta-
neous control in vehicles
as dif erence as skate boards
(26) to motorcycles (251).

Might note that some luxury
cars now have the capability
to sense barriers for emer-
gency stops.

2.3 Ultravehicle 210 Automotive adaptation of

motorized wheel chair.

Technology probably exists
today.

2.4 Rat things 228-231 “A line of dark angular things

silhouetted above the maze
. . . Rat things. . . . mechani-
cally assisted organisms”

Introducing idea of supe-
rior organisms built from
living things, mechanically
enhanced.

2.5 Advanced
security items.

244 “Liquid knuckles, high

voltage cuf s and bundy
stunner . . .”

What's the use of science fi c-
tion if the imagination doesn't
run wild?