Virtual reality in gaming is the process in which an individual can experience being in a three-dimensional environment and interact with that environment during their gaming experience. According to Paul Mealy (2018), Virtual Reality means an immersive computer-simulated reality that creates a physical environment that does not exist. According to Author and programmer Jaron Lanier in his book Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality; No matter how good a VR setup is, or will be in the future, we will always have an extensive understanding of the qualitative differences in reality and virtual reality. Strictly speaking, in Lanier’s future, The Matrix can never happen. He compares it to magic and asks you to imagine you are watching the world’s best magician perform the best-ever trick: even though you have requested to be fooled, at no point are you likely to think the trick is real magic because the following is a mutually agreed output. Thus the V in VR will always be the most important letter in the end. (Lanier, 2017)
From an economical standpoint “The Global Virtual Reality (VR) in Gaming market is anticipated to reach USD 48.2 billion by 2026. With the increase in spending capacity of people, people are demanding for new sources of entertainment and VR games offer a unique way of entertainment.” (Market Watch, 2019)
When it comes to video games, one may not be thinking about experiences that promote learning but many companies are fostering educational games with the use of VR. Educators have realised that interactive games can be a very effective way for students to absorb the materials in a classroom. Companies like zSpace are creating “Virtual instruction programs” powered by equipment and VR classroom apps to keep the students engaged and interested as well as a method to develop new types of teaching content for the teachers. (viar 360, 2018)
Young people with severe autism are being tested via a new technique with the use of VR to help development and learning. Prior’s Court in Berkshire are using virtual reality headsets and computer tablets to aid assist and develop the lives of the people who live there, and to accommodate treatment for each individual’s condition. The school has paid a total of £1.5m for the next four years and the teachers have been supporting VR as a vital resource for interactivity through gaming and exploration for the development of the pupil. (BBC Gadgil, 2019) The success of virtual reality in the gaming industry can be attributed to the intense immersion that it can provide as stated above but it is also because a significant aspect of the gaming culture is about remaking yourself and experiencing challenges and situations you would never have the opportunity to in real life. All of this is magnified through the use of VR tech where players truly feel the immersion of being inside the world they are navigating, instead of just a blunt visual stimulation from staring at the screen. Furthermore, there is another element to consider which is the increased interaction with your surroundings that VR gaming offers. Just as you would in real life, you will need to reach out and move your hands or your body for your avatar to respond. It eases the need for controllers or joysticks that were present in other modes of gaming interfaces. An example to consider is when Playstation adopted and introduced early vibration to its dual shock controllers to increase immersion which cannot be compared to its counterpart in Virtual Reality. (innovation & tech today, 2018)
As video games have grown and expanded in both their technology and audience, brands have recognised the increased potential and opportunities in this industry. An example to be considered is how google launched cardboard VR viewers, ranging from $5 to $20. The viewers are created to pair with your smartphones as a low-cost method to dive into Virtual Reality. With the use of 3D printing, it’s easy for brands to create their custom VR headsets to send home with the customer who gets to customise it in shape and colour while implanting brand logo onto the device. This provides the user with an easy to use VR gaming experience and brands get an effortless entry into the user’s home. (Headstuff, Wallace 2018)
Group Work
The question I selected for my group work was What kind of data could be extracted from the VR/AR applications we start using and how could these be used by future companies? Companies could store data on what we find interesting in a VR world and what we spend the most amount of time on and construct an idea on our lifestyle and interests. It can also be used to determine advertising by seeing what products we have been viewing in a VR world. An example could be a user scanning for AR on products you see around you and it could save your location or keep that data for advertising purposes which could assist the company in getting to know your financial capabilities better. Digital media designer will need practical skills such as software programming, 3D design skills, video/sound production skills, game development, UI/UX to help with VR development and to engage with the sector from a designer perspective.
References
BBC News. (2019). Virtual reality improves autistic children’s lives. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-berkshire-50839564/berkshire-school-uses-virtual-reality-to-help-autistic-children?intlink_from_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Ftopics%2Fcywd23g0wzwt%2Fvirtual-reality&link_location=live-reporting-map [Accessed 3 Jan. 2020].
Mealy, P. (2018). Virtual & Augmented Reality (For Dummies). Hoboken, USA: Wiley.
Moersen, A. (2018). How Virtual Reality is Revolutionizing the Gaming Industry. [online] Innovation & Tech Today. Available at: https://innotechtoday.com/virtual-reality-revolutionizing-gaming-industry/ [Accessed 1 Jan. 2020].
PHD Media Worldwide. (2018). What does Jaron Lanier, godfather of virtual reality, think of VR? – Phil Rowley, PHD Global Business – PHD Media Worldwide. [online] Available at: https://www.phdmedia.com/what-does-jaron-lanier-godfather-of-virtual-reality-think-about-vr-phil-rowley-phd-global-business/ [Accessed 5 Jan. 2020].
Rizzo, A. (2018). [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6232426/pdf/fpsyg-09-02086.pdf [Accessed 4 Jan. 2020].
Viar360. (2018). The Future of Virtual Reality and Video Games & it’s Relation to Education. [online] Available at: https://www.viar360.com/future-virtual-reality-video-games/ [Accessed 12 Jan. 2020].
Images
MakeUseOf. (2020). 3 Major Security & Privacy Concerns Over Virtual Reality. [online] Available at: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-major-security-privacy-concerns-virtual-reality/ [Accessed 13 Dec. 2019].
Ram, G. (2016). Augmented reality sparks privacy debate – Virtual Reality Augmented Reality Technology Latest News. [online] Virtual Reality Augmented Reality Technology Latest News. Available at: https://www.affinityvr.com/ar-privacy-debate/ [Accessed 13 Dec. 2019].
Professional Practices (Aby Jose) 