Virtual reality

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

In training,│ the answer‿ is‿ emphatically affirmative. A surgeon│ who rehearses‿ a procedure‿ in simulation commits fewer‿ errors‿ in theatre,│ and‿ a pilot may practise‿ an‿ emergency no airline would permit‿ in‿ a real‿ aircraft. Immersion generates presence,│ an(d) presence generates learning,│ which‿ is why the technology was‿ 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 financed‿ a journey to Paris visited‿ a museum there,│ which‿ is not‿ a gimmick but the least‿ expensive‿ excursion‿ ever‿ arranged.

For‿ entertainment‿ I am less persuaded,│ the novelty declining‿ an(d) the isolation persisting. 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 resolving‿ a problem video calling had‿ already solved. My children will regar(d) this technology as‿ I regarded television,│ and‿ I do not‿ expect‿ it to supplant‿ experience. It will supplan(t) certain kinds‿ of training‿ an(d) certain journeys that people could not‿ otherwise‿ afford,│ which‿ is‿ a substantial benefit rather than‿ a toy,│ an(d) to describe‿ it‿ as the latter‿ is to mistake‿ a tool for‿ a diversion.