Non-immersive: watching a three-dimensional screen image, like a 3-D movie, or a changing of the screen environment through the use of a joystick or computer mouse. This is mostly done with the use of our own physical body, normally through hand movements.
Immersive: "watched and activated through stereo video monitors since a helmet and a glove that contains various activating sensors" (103).
Both of these forms do not make us feel as through we are moving through space but instead that we are seeing virtual space moving past us. This, along with an idea of 3D representation and the use of sound, affect our use of Media Aesthetics, how a medium uses light, space, time-motion, and sound to produce specific perceptual responses.
I think this is interesting, as well as the virtual reality idea of the self, due to the high demand of video games in our culture. Many times people want to leave the current state of life and escape. Virtual reality helps them to do that, and the more realistic and controllable it is, the more likely people are to enjoy it. Creating a sense of self in the virtual, alternate world is also something that many avid game users find themselves in tune with, for the sense of escape.
What is the significance of the distinction between immersive and nonimmersive VR? I do think that immersive VR can provide a sense of moving through space, as shown in the video Will included in the post entitled Cyberspace.
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