Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality, also known as Simulated, Artificial or Augmented Reality, is the simulation of a fictitious or realistic 3D environment created by a computer. Although it is currently only used in military applications, many people speculate that it will be implemented in public systems such as movie theme parks, theaters, commercials, video games, and computers. Although many people are excited about the concept of virtual reality, the concept scares most people. Currently, it is unlikely to be implemented in common entertainment systems for quite some time, however, it has been widely used as fodder for science fiction, such as the holodeck featured in the popular science fiction show, Star Trek. Mixing virtual reality and real reality makes "mixed reality", which is used in some applications like astronaut training. Games that "put you in the TV" are using a weak version of "mixed reality".
The concept of virtual reality also creates the fear that possibly we are currently living in a virtual world without knowing it. This is referred to as "Matrix Theory". Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your view), there is no proof for this as proof is hard to get -- you would have to look of major inconstancies in reality -- and if the creators of our "Matrix" are careful, such inconstancies might not exist.
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