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 clearly yes. A surgeon│ who rehearses‿ a procedure‿ in simulation makes fewer‿ errors‿ in theatre,│ and‿ a pilot can practise‿ an‿ emergency that no airline would permit‿ in‿ a real‿ aircraft. Immersion generates presence,│ an(d) presence generates learning,│ which‿ is why the technology has been‿ adopted‿ in medicine long│ before‿ it‿ entered the living room. Accessibility follows:│ my nephew's school‿ acquired twelve headsets,│ and‿ a class that could never have funded‿ a trip to Paris visited‿ a museum there,│ which‿ is not‿ a gimmick but the least‿ expensive‿ excursion‿ ever‿ arranged.

For‿ entertainment‿ I am less persuaded,│ because the novelty declines‿ an(d) the isolation persists. A virtual dinner‿ is not dinner,│ and sitting^si-ding‿ at‿ a table with seven‿ avatars,│ as‿ I did during‿ a company meeting^mee-ding las(t) month,│ is‿ a curious‿ experience that resolves‿ a problem video calling had‿ already solved. My children will grow up regarding this technology as‿ I regarded television,│ and‿ I do not‿ expect‿ it to replace‿ experience. It will replace certain kinds‿ of training‿ an(d) certain journeys that people could not‿ otherwise‿ afford,│ an(d) that‿ is‿ a substantial benefit rather than‿ a toy.