As the technology progresses, we, as consumers, are getting used to constantly new and impressive technological features. Things that could surprise people a few decades ago now seem pretty trivial. No one is surprised by smartphones, mobile Internet, small yet powerful laptops, the Internet accessibility, etc. And the technology continues to develop with an accelerated speed. Virtual reality has become a comparatively recent trend in the high-tech development having become incredibly popular with the consumers.
Virtual reality is a computer-generated convincing reality that is meant to substitute the ‘real reality.’ By putting on special headsets, a person can get immersed in the computer-generated sensibility that highly resembles the actual world around us. It’s all done with the purpose of having more acute and profound experience. Besides, using virtual reality technology grants us opportunities to visit far-away places we can’t visit while being at home. For example, one can take a virtual tour of the White House or museum and see everything around. And, according to CEO of the Net Entertainment company, virtual reality games are going to be released pretty soon. So, it seems like virtual reality is gaining more and more popularity and can be applied to a lot of areas in life, no matter whether it’s about watching a film, playing a game or ‘visiting’ the museum. But can virtual reality substitute actual reality? Are we moving to the future where virtual reality would completely substitute the reality around us, or is it just a new way of a more complex entertainment?
Virtual reality has a lot of advantages. It makes the experience more ‘real,’ and, thus, when it’s used for the entertainment purpose, it brings more fun and complexity to it. Besides, with the help of virtual reality, one could simulate one’s own environment and, thus, ‘climb the Everest’ or virtually go anywhere one has dreamed of going to. Not to speak about the opportunity to ‘see’ the masterpieces of some famous artists, when a person is far away and doesn’t have an opportunity to really visit certain places. And, of course, watching movies with 3D glasses has become a lot more entertaining as one could get more immersed into the story.
But, at the same time, there’s a danger that people could get involved too much in virtual reality and, thus, lose interest in the actual reality. People already spend too much time while staring at the computer screens or smartphones, and the virtual reality brings more flavor to the computer-generated environment and creates the illusion of having a ‘real experience’ of something, when, in fact, it’s just a simulation. And the simulated reality can never substitute a real one.
I think virtual reality can (and should) be used for entertainment or even educational purposes, but it’s always necessary to remember that virtual reality would never be able to substitute an actual one. Talking to the people, walking around the lake or river or climbing the mountain could give us the best experience ever, and it can’t be compared to virtual ‘experience.’