Life is fast. It feels like time is speeding up. The preference is for immediacy – so much so that there’s a chance our perception of future time, i.e. the extent to which we can imagine non-immediate states and weigh decisions for those accordingly, has quite literally contracted. If our parents could see the next 20 years of time, can we only see the next 5? Every decision revolves on instant gratification. I want it all now, even if it means a more painful sacrifice later.

Yet paradoxically the way things (markets, platforms) have evolved, it is nearly impossible to ever inhabit only a singular moment in time. The internet thrives on the comparison of historical events (social platforms) or the anticipation of future ones (any impulse transaction, i.e. what should I buy for the party on Friday). Most answers are a click away, time is mutable (scroll next if you don’t like what you see), and actions occur amidst 10 others simultaneously. What this means is it’s very hard to hone in on an immediate moment, a single point of focus… it’s tempting to jump ahead or reverse. With limited situations that call for survival instinct (commoditization of software sort of nullifies the concept that work is a necessary input to a desired outcome anyway), I wonder if we’ve lost an ability to think moment to moment (m2m). It feels like our perception of time looks somewhat like this:

“Now” is the space between a mess of running thoughts and overstimulation pre or post any distinct point t=0. I found this youtuber who references m2m (moment to moment) vs. m2n (long form persistency) gameplay. These terms aren’t ones that are actually used in gaming to describe play design, but I like the articulation well enough that it feels right to use here. In m2m gameplay, the consequences of losing singular focus are great – lose a life, someone else wins the prize, etc. This kind of focus forces a mental reset. Forgetting to recognize time is a version of play. I find myself searching for this high – the m2m space – on a more frequent basis. So how to cultivate m2m?

Some forms of physical activity offer this feeling. There are also other versions of escapism –  cheap i.e. drugs, alcohol; primal i.e. love or the tribalism of sport; artistic i.e. live music, dance; and virtual i.e. video games. This last category (virtual) is one of the most interesting – arguably the fastest / most guaranteed path to m2m via focused immersion. Versions of reality that replicate the survival mechanics described in the aforementioned experiences – action based combat, shooter games, RPGs are clear escapism (only meant here in a positive light).

In this sense, spatial devices are even more efficient shortcuts to m2m. I am moved by Vision Pro. It represents a long anticipated platform shift and we finally have a series of new inputs that enable faster human / computer communication. With eye / motion tracking, writing information to a computer itself is m2m. There has never been a faster way for a machine to react and create experiences for us. Combined with the obscenely visceral scene that 4K streaming in each eye is, the hypothetical game experience is insane. Stronger m2m field. Some other exciting elements at play will be 3D and the ability to manipulate the real world around you (nearly perfect passthrough). If new products only arise from the collision of new technological inputs, there are new and believably better permutations of products that will come to realization on Vision Pro SDK using tracking, split screen, mutable world, etc. I am certainly not considering all of the potential inputs available here. What I am interested in is how developers aggregate these inputs to create interactive experiences, especially ones that induce m2m without the end user realizing it (this is usually how it happens in real world). I’d assume this predominantly looks like games, entertainment, and simulated survival experiences. If you’re building anything like this on VP I’d love to talk. Same if you’re thinking about m2m experiences on other platforms – I have more ideas that didn’t find their place in this piece.