Fortnite Virtual Concert: The Weeknd's Avatar Can Be as Good as the Real Thing Is
Festival season has long ended, but that didn't stop more than 800,000 from snagging passes to see The Weeknd headline yet another show. Except neither he nor his fans were physically together. The concert was held virtually, in Epic Games Inc.'s Fortnite, with the singer's avatar taking the stage, representing the latest in a growing list of virtual concerts.
From KISS' and ABBA's de-aged avatars performing on massive screens in arenas to late rapper Notorious B.I.G.'s virtual reality performance in the metaverse, technology is helping musicians transcend space and time.
It hasn't been music to everyone's ears, though. A live performance minus a live performer makes some feel as if they are being cheated. And as more discussions (and fears) surface about artificial intelligence's place in our daily lives, it's understandable to want to rage against the machines.
Marvin Gaye said it best: “Ain't nothing like the real thing.” But it might not be so when it comes to concerts. Research shows that our social responses to avatars are comparable to those observed during real-world interactions, even when the avatar is controlled by AI, or its appearance deviates significantly from what we expect.
Fans may buy into the idea that they'll perceive virtual musicians the same and even welcome the benefits of virtual concerts (no bathroom lines), but how will they think back on the experience? Many of us have a favorite concert moment, so it would be a shame to say goodbye to creating more.
Science suggests that we don't have to. Moments shared in VR, for example, are stored in our autobiographical memory, the same place as lived experiences. In this way, virtual reality concerts are not just moving images on a screen. To your brain,
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