Virtual reality

My name‿ is Ben. I have used‿ a headset for two years,│ an(d) the useful question‿ is not│ whether virtual reality is realistic│ but whether‿ it‿ is‿ a substitute for‿ anything that matters.

In training,│ the answer‿ is yes. A surgeon│ who practises‿ a procedure‿ in‿ a simulation makes fewer mistakes‿ in‿ an‿ operating theatre,│ and‿ a pilot can rehearse‿ an‿ emergency that no airline would‿ allow in‿ a real‿ aircraft. Immersion produces presence,│ an(d) presence produces learning. It‿ also produces‿ accessibility:│ my nephew's school bought twelve headsets,│ and‿ a class that could never‿ afford‿ a trip to Paris visited‿ a museum there,│ which‿ is not‿ a gimmick. It‿ is the cheapes(t) fiel(d) trip‿ ever‿ organised.

For‿ entertainment,│ I am less convinced,│ because the novelty wears‿ off‿ an(d) the isolation remains. A virtual dinner‿ is not dinner,│ and sitting^si-ding‿ at‿ a table with seven‿ avatars,│ as‿ I did‿ in‿ a company meeting^mee-ding las(t) month,│ is‿ a strange‿ experience that solves‿ a problem video calls had‿ already solved. My children will grow up with this technology as‿ I grew up with television,│ and‿ I do not think‿ it will replace‿ experience. It will replace some training‿ an(d) some travel that people could not‿ otherwise‿ afford,│ an(d) that‿ is‿ a serious benefit,│ not‿ a toy.