Virtual Reality will soon take over the world as we know it.

In 2020, a relative of Morningside Student Brian Garcia, had  purchased a device called an Oculus. The Oculus is a virtual reality headset that is typically only used for gaming but also carries the standard VR presets. While Brian was using the Oculus, he found himself playing a first-person shooter with the use of two controllers in his hand while wearing the headset. While the experience was fun for Brian, one could notice his loss of real life balance and the visual fatigue he experienced after removing the headset. He had also claimed that he experienced slight motion sickness at the start but eventually got used to it. What is seen here are the effects that Virtual Reality can have on people without any real notice. Brian’s experience inside the virtual world was so deep that he lost his grasp of the real-life reality. With that, that leads us with the question of how powerful AI really is and how it is affecting our society as we know it. But what is the true meaning of Virtual Reality to begin with?

 Of course Chatgpt has been the most well known driving force at the moment but what is currently trending within our society is the machine learning previously referred to as  Virtual Reality. Right now there are many devices out there that one can choose to purchase at a heavy price but what is Virtual Reality? What does it mean? In 1987, Jaron Lanier coined the term “virtual reality” and played a significant role in advancing the emerging VR industry through his research and engineering contributions.

Early VR research and technology development in the United States were closely connected by a common theme—the involvement of the federal government, notably the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. These agencies funded projects at university-based research laboratories, cultivating a skilled workforce in areas like computer graphics, simulation, and networked environments. This collaboration fostered strong connections between academic, military, and commercial endeavors. Today, VR is the use of computer modeling and simulation that enables a person to interact with an artificial three-dimensional (3-D) visual or other sensory environment. What this means is that a user can essentially use VR to escape the real world reality to go and do whatever they want. 

Wyatt Reitmeier, a student at Morningside, was asked for his opinion on the current VR trend and whether he thinks it is a good or bad thing to take advantage of. “Personally I have never used any VR devices but I have seen many videos and it looks very cool but I’d still never try it. I feel like if I try it, I might get addicted to it and it’ll mess me up”, Wyatt stated.

Addiction is something that is very common when it comes to technology but what we are looking at here in this case is much more dangerous than your average phone addiction. With VR, addiction can get so powerful to the point of real life neglect. One could be so tied up with a false world that they lose touch with reality and that can become a serious problem. Things like this can lead to losses of personality and relationships in the real world. Virtual reality can be useful and fun if used properly and responsibly but is it worth taking the chance? 

Morningside Baseball Player Luke Mar was asked for his opinion on the matter and was left up in the air. “I mean if you’re telling me that I can pay and watch an NBA game from home for a decent price through VR, then sign me up”, said Mar. VR has its quirks when it comes to opportunities. There are currently seats you can purchase at sports venues that allow the VR experience from whatever angle you choose to purchase. This is just some good that VR has to offer and if used properly, can be truly great.

Overall, Virtual Reality is something that has its ups and downs but is a generational opportunity for all. If used responsibly VR can take over the world and allow for much more fun experiences like never seen before but it will take some time to perfect. For as great as it is, it could also turn very dangerous for people that overuse it because of how powerful the experience is. The power is in our hands.