The Pursuit of Realism and the Nature of Emotions in Virtual Reality: A Phenomenological Analysis of Affects Elicited by Virtual Environments

This paper explores the nature of emotions experienced within virtual reality environments through a phenomenological lens. Specifically, it investi-gates whether virtual reality can elicit more genuine emotions than traditional art forms. Recent scholarship has highlighted that virtual reality, with its capacity to create increasingly realistic simulations, can elicit vivid, powerful emotional experiences. The common assumption in this regard posits a direct correlation between the degree of immersiveness offered by the virtual reality environment and the intensity of the user’s response. However, on closer inspection, this appar-ently self-evident statement reveals various contradictory aspects, which will be discussed in this paper through the framework of Husserl’s philosophy, especially the notion of perzeptive Phantasie and the phenomenon of sich hineinversetzen (to transplant oneself into).