After watching two of the most iconic movies in regards to computers and the evolution of technology, one word stuck with me, immersion. Tron (1982) and The Matrix (1999) both revolve around the concept of being immersed into a virtual reality of sorts. In today’s society this concept is becoming a reality. Whether it be through our phones, computers, video games and now VR headsets.
Tron was released right before the video game crash of 1983. Due to this Tron focused on the rise of video games and the idea of them being something that we can immerse ourselves in. The movie itself revolves around a man named Flynn that gets sucked into a video game and has to find his way out while fighting parts of the machine he is in. When the movie was released it caused a large interest in computers and video games. It made people want to try and replicate what had happened and go into the grid like Flynn. It helped boost the number people interested in personal computers and the number people who created them. In Tron, Flynn is fighting parts of the machine like the MCP (Master Control Program), which has control over the programs across a variety of machines. The MCP is able to gather the different types of programs onto one single machine. This concept was brought into the movie after one of the creators discovered ARPANET more commonly known as the Internet. While this was not one of the main topics of the movie it is something that sparked curiosity around the subject of being able to share data among multiple devices. We do this on a daily basis with all of our devices. For example, my phone, watch and computer all connect and sync up with each other. I can send a text on my phone, go on my computer and continue the conversation from there. While Tron revolved around going into a video game and essentially playing it to escape, The Matrix focused on escaping a virtual reality and staying in reality.
The Matrix was released in 1999 after the rise of the personal computer and during the rise of the Internet. The Matrix focused on the future of human life if we continued to immerse ourselves with our devices. The concept of humans being born into a virtual reality and being under the control of programs and machines is something that has appeared in a variety of films before and after the matrix was released. However this time it was different, there is someone who is able to fight the programs, someone who is able to the read the code known as the Matrix and manipulate it to his will. What this shows us is that we are the creators; we can alter anything on a computer with a few keystrokes. This created an interest in programming and personal computers. The idea of being able to create something and have it do something for you with one click brought a larger interest in personal computers and helped create new technology. In The Matrix, those who were free and outside of the Matrix went back in by being ‘plugged in’. Once plugged in, you were able to connect with everyone else in the matrix. It’s like plugging an Ethernet cable into a computer and going onto the Internet. In fact, when those who were free went into the matrix, they were able to download and learn how to something in seconds. Today, we can go onto the World Wide Web and search how to do something and find a guide within seconds. What was once a concept in a movie is now reality.
We are slowly adapting all of the ideas in these movies and using them on a day-to-day basis. Whether it be sharing data among different devices or going online to something we do it as if its nothing. Even now, we are creating technology that allows us to immerse into a video or a movie or anything really. Virtual reality is becoming a reality as we speak and it will be something that we use on a day-to-day basis as well.
Overall, these movies played a huge role in inspiring technology and creating a larger interest in technology.
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