Have you ever noticed that we’re starting to live in a fantasy world? OK, maybe not actually a fantasy world, but various forms of entertainment and media have been slowly evolving to become a more seamless experience that is closer to real life than ever before. That is not to say that we cannot tell the difference between what is reality and what is not, but we as a society are gradually working to get to that point.

So how do we know this for sure? Well, once identifying a trend, we need to look for its causes. However, when it comes to entertainment and media, we no longer need to look, because the evidence is all around us.

So let’s start with our rapidly changing television standards, which are currently demanding higher-budget, higher-quality, and much-more-relatable programming from the television entertainment industry. Last week I wrote specifically about this topic in an article that explains why “Game of Thrones” is the pinnacle of where the television industry is heading. To summarize, it explains the similarities between both movies and television programming and surmises that we want a greater cinematic television experience. But the evidence is only continuing to pile up, with even more
engaging and high-quality shows -- most of which are available one season at a time on streaming services. Additionally, streaming means that no longer do your favorite shows have to be episodic in nature; they can all now play out like one massive, 10-hour movie.

Movies aren’t what they used to be, either. They too haven’t escaped the grasp of our ever-changing society. Movies have become longer and have extended their experiences to multiple parts to accommodate the need to please the consumers' desire for longer films. Since the 2000s, 3D cinema has also become a desirable platform that adds to the viewing experience, making us feel like movies are more realistic than ever before. However, that was the 2000s and this is 2016. 3D isn’t just a movie gimmick, it’s a highly profitable television option, and 3D televisions can be bought at relatively low prices alongside the newly popular 4K televisions. These changes are not just technological advancements, they’re the result of the industry profiting off of these advancements, showing even more of how the world is ready to a more realistic leisure time.

Some of the most personalized experiences have been in the video game industry. Fueled by a community that has demanded realism from the very beginning, the video game industry has listened to the desires of the consumer and adapted to produce more cinematic content than ever before. The “Uncharted” series of games has always worked to create a seamless transition between gameplay and cinematic cutscenes, from the first game in 2007, to the most recent installment in the franchise that was released just this year. Pushing the graphical limitations of the console and the technical limitations of the developers, games like “Uncharted” seek to create a similar experience to a streamed television show in that it is meant to be an extended movie of sorts. It isn’t just “Uncharted,” however, as newer games like the recently unveiled “God of War 4” have seemingly transferred their efforts from gory combat to emotional storytelling.

What do all of these advancements lead to, however? Is there any culmination of all the little changes? Yes, and it’s a concept that was dreamed of by sci-fi fans for decades now: Virtual reality.

Called VR for short, virtual reality has become the go-to development in entertainment technology, quickly surpassing its expectations for the industry and gaining massive traction with consumers. With many different companies making different VR headsets, it is foreseeable that a future of people living within their own personal worlds for downtime isn’t too far off.

So now that we see the trend and know the effects of the trend, we have to wonder why there is a trend in the first place. Is it because people are simply looking for their leisure time to be more realistic, or is there a more serious psychological answer having to do with an increasing desire to escape our own realities through the substitute of another? Is it simply a technological advancement, or should we be wondering why we feel the need so create another world to dump our time into?

That sounds like a great thought experiment for another day.