Virtual Ecotourism
Today I presented a university project . I tackled something that might seem bizarre in an ecotourism class.
I talked about virtual ecotourism, something that you surely never heard off because I invented it! The thing is, it exists, but no one gave it a name until now. (Wow the ego).
No but seriously.
It was really nice to present and to make, I talked about something that I love, which is the virtual world-- Eeeh maybe love is too strong of a word, but let’s say “like”. I had fun doing and defending my thesis that basically said “virtual ecotourism, is a form of ecotourism”.
Now I could just translate what I wrote, but I can sum it up, or talk un-academic things here.
Okay So There is this notion of virtual ecotourism that was inside my head.
And I needed to explain its legitimacy. The way I did it was by using the original definition of ecotourism and basically explaining this new thing compared to that. Let me explain.
Normal real life ecotourism , is an ecotourism that teaches us things about nature , the place needs to be intact , the place should be a place where the local people gain money ,aka , it needs to be lucrative .
The third thing is basically that Eco tourists are here to contemplate nature. All this, let’s us love nature and hopefully respect her more. But knowing humans it’s very hard to live comfortably and not pollute. Look at me typing on a laptop. Anyway, so, what do I mean, by digital ecotourism?
Well basically I meant 3 big thingsFirst I went on to talk about how technology is important, and how things evaluated through time. I explained that, there are many, many, many professional videos out there on YouTube that are totally free to watch and that can be enjoyed.
And thus, we need to understand something: The videos that we see online, sometimes gives us a different view from what it would really be if we were actually there. What I mean by that.
Is that for instance Eco tourists cannot really see how bees go to one flower to another, or how ants fight, and build, or how a tree gets born and dies in matter of minutes. I explained that even Netflix actually knows how important and how it really can work and thus, it made free documentaries, professional documentaries.
For free. About Mother Nature. Say whatever you want about Netflix, this was a good move. Perhaps an opportunity but still. Those professional videos that we watch online, that teaches us and gives us beautiful shots, that is also lucrative and doesn’t hurt nature much is something of value.
Because it destroys a big bad notion about original ecotourism, which is that it is a tourism for elites. And now, it’s open to the masses virtually. I could be sitting in Chicago, but watch something happening even live in Siberia, or Lebanon. With the help of a few clicks and minutes.
Anyway, I talked about the nature in video games, those living paintings are things that we should not take for granted. Now many people might say “oh well what does it bring me if I know more things about a virtual tree?”
, but I’ll answer with a question. What does it bring you to read fiction, manga’s, watch movies, play games? Who can tell me that she or he never gave importance to something fictional? We like imagination, we like desire, we like to be happy. And thus, hobbies are not criminal.
Hobbies can be lucrative as well. Perhaps not precisely only for fictional nature, but it has its place in the gaming world. Remember how much nature can be alive and loved or hated in those video games. (By the way ,, one of the students said that I forgot to mention Fallout , a game that shows what nature can become , obviously not literally , but the lesson is to not throw more nukes).
So let’s come back to the 5 points
Is it lucrative? Oh yes it is, people who make games get paid
Is there education in it? Yep, some fandoms cover natural areas or in game you could learn more
Does it hurt nature? Very little, video games can pollute with their plastic, or from the people making them but it’d argue its better than sending tourists to attack a natural place
is it an intact natural spot? Yea of course, sometimes at least
Can I contemplate it? Definitely, some sceneries are hands down , beautiful
And thus case closed, video games, can let us fall in love more in nature. Oh and by the way, I talked about the Witcher 3 mission where you take photographs of nature AND, the poster that you get “solidarity with nature” after completing something.
Skyrim, fire watch, witcher , red dead redemption, subnautica , and many more implement nature as a key element. Without them it would be disgusting. (Imagine firewatch without nature). LIKE NATURE IS THE WHOLE POINT.And thus I believe, us gamers, who like to play various games, do not forget nature, and should not. I think most enjoy it, and most would agree that it is one of the top 5 best decors you can add to a level. (For me top one would be a medieval city)
. And thus ladies and gentlemen. Video games are not that horrible, they make us close to nature. Speaking of getting close to nature I spoke a little about Meta, and how later on perhaps we would be able to smell, look and touch things over there, which is great and I think there might be a future of it. But not now. Also the Meta world, the full immersion could lead us to somewhere even more natural, from our living room. This will make nature, of our world, of our planet more accessible.
And make for all artists out there that would like to get their hands on the fictional world of Meta, a board to make amazing things. I believe the future is a more interconnected world, but close to nature. A paradox. Maybe not Meta, but something revolutionary.
Like oil, coal and fire. In conclusion, I believe, that this digital world, is worth studying and can as a whole a PhD thesis. I believe that video games and the digital world are worlds that should not be taken for granted. For they have their own dimension, with its own nature. With the hopes that ecotourism helps people to fight more against global warming. For nature deserves it.
Thank you
credits for pictures :
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/fantasy-airship-flying-57073/
https://pixabay.com/vectors/mountains-panorama-forest-mountain-1412683/
https://pixabay.com/photos/tree-dawn-dusk-birds-nature-3358468/
https://pixabay.com/photos/beach-leaf-green-leaf-shore-sand-394503/
https://pixabay.com/photos/northern-lights-norway-nature-6862969/
