The end of this month I hope to receive (yet again) a review, internally, for Rethinking Virtual Places, from Indiana University Press.

I talked to them about an advance contract in 2016, there has been two review rounds already, maybe 2-4 reviewers, relatively minor comments, and apparently the press is being prepared (for early-ish 2021 release) but every time I receive feedback the industry has moved forward so fast and expectations of virtual world/reality predictions from me so increased. it has been an exercise in frustration. It is very tiring trying to keep up with wishes to see into the future standing on the broken beer bottles of so many recent VR promises.

For example, for two years, I think, I have been promoting the value of WebXR (no app downloads, simply access in a browser with internet access, don’t worry about the device you view it on) but examples are still simple and sketchy: https://ssvar.ch/mozillas-new-demo-proves-webxr-can-match-apps/

Oculus and Facebook (their new owner) are making some impressive strides by focusing on practical challenges, while Magic Leap seem to be highly successful at promoting their company rather than selling their product. Please don’t get me started on the services sales and support of Microsoft HoloLens (which does not create Holograms by the way. Naughty marketing department).

And that is just the VR/MR companies, the AR industry changes is even harder, perhaps, to keep track of.

My book though, was me thinking I have not come across too many books lately (in 2015 or 2016) that tries to address the issues of virtual places and why designing satisfying ones seems so difficult (unless you like swatting Orcs, I suppose). I wanted to venture more into the real of virtual places that don’t quite have real place qualities. Not virtuality, it is too easy to capriciously ponder weird new visions when virtual place-making can’t even solve simple real-place simulation problems. Will the book be published now without me having to go through yet more now-reviewer-wants-you-to-make-more-comments-on-recent-x-trends? I guess I will have to watch this space.