If you’re interested in gaming, then you’re probably aware that virtual reality may be the big new thing on the horizon. With crowdfunded projects such as Oculus Rift making waves and breaking into production, it’s no surprise then that the possibility that virtual reality may evolve gaming into a more personal, immersive and real thing. But, that sort of technology won’t come cheap, and what about the affects it may have on the players? If you get motion sickness easily, then wearing the goggles may not work. And what happens to the body when exploring virtual reality? Interesting questions. And something I want to explore in future writing.
Tapping In
I love games, and games are plenty immersive as they are with hits like Skyrim, Fallout and Grand Theft Auto, but you’re only moving things with the gamepad. In fact, I think the closest thing we have to virtual reality is either The Sims, or playing Forza Motorsport with a steering wheel. And immersion can break instantly when nature calls and you have to abandon the game for a minute. Virtual reality has a chance (if done well) to really guide players into a world and convince them this is real life. All Skyrim needs is a pair of goggles and I’m travelling the plains of Whiterun searching for dragons to slay. Skyrim has continued to prove that games can be places where you can live for hours, where the real world ceases to exist and all that matters is learning the basic skills of alchemy. Small achievements in Skyrim outweigh small achievements in real life some of the time, and when you’re more excited to get back into the make-belief than do something in reality says a lot about the power of video games. But, that can come with a price.
Virtual reality has been around for years, but now it seems that gaming companies are really taking interest and planning for their future on consoles and PCs. And only recently have I taken an interest myself. With the right game, paying a load of cash for a bulky (hopefully not) headset could completely change the experience. But that does depend on the game. Recently I’ve been wondering if I would trade my own life for a life in virtual reality. Let’s use Skyrim for example. In that game you are a hero, and you solve pretty much everything there is to solve. It’s an adventure you carve on your own in a world reality can’t make up for you. Video games are often the outlets for the social inept, and if they had the choice to trade their lives for a game one, would they take it? And if they did, what happens to the body in the real world? This is something Adam Sternbergh questions in his awesome novel, Shovel Ready. In the book, characters hire nurses to look after their bodies while they explore virtual reality because it offers a better life than the ruin they live in. I still don’t know if I’d choose it. I guess it depends on what happens to my body in reality.
Virtual reality has been around for years, but now it seems that gaming companies are really taking interest and planning for their future on consoles and PCs. And only recently have I taken an interest myself. With the right game, paying a load of cash for a bulky (hopefully not) headset could completely change the experience. But that does depend on the game. Recently I’ve been wondering if I would trade my own life for a life in virtual reality. Let’s use Skyrim for example. In that game you are a hero, and you solve pretty much everything there is to solve. It’s an adventure you carve on your own in a world reality can’t make up for you. Video games are often the outlets for the social inept, and if they had the choice to trade their lives for a game one, would they take it? And if they did, what happens to the body in the real world? This is something Adam Sternbergh questions in his awesome novel, Shovel Ready. In the book, characters hire nurses to look after their bodies while they explore virtual reality because it offers a better life than the ruin they live in. I still don’t know if I’d choose it. I guess it depends on what happens to my body in reality.
Become One
These are things I want to explore in future stories, maybe a novel. What would happen if a protagonist had to explore a virtual reality for some reason? What would happen? And that’s taking into account all the things the body goes through in reality, and how an artificial world can affect a human who hasn’t known one this intense before. It may be too much for me to handle, but it’s something worth attempting at some point. Immersion is what really makes some games stand out more than others. Games like Bioshock that rely wholly on setting to pull you in, and Alien Isolation that relies, not only on location, but the Alien itself. Imagine the Xenomorph skulking the corridors searching for you in virtual reality? That would be awesome. But, this won’t come cheap, and now there are alternate options in development like Project Morpheus and Valve’s own spin on it, these headsets could be the new consoles in a sense. What makes you purchase an Xbox One over a PS4? The games, right? Or the tech? Maybe some headsets can only be compatible with specific consoles and games, I don’t know. How does one decide?
Ultimately, virtual reality is going to intensify the stories told in games and really, these headsets may only work with some games. Horror in particular. Driving too. But, we’ll see. Since console gaming in general is becoming less and less interesting (at least with the current generation of games out there), virtual reality can break that dry spell and perhaps a new dawn is approaching. It’s too soon to tell, and I doubt I’d purchase a headset right away. Like the iPhone, it may not be all that great in its first birth. Wait for a few years and let’s see what it can really do. Like the Apple Watch.
Songs of the Week:
Ultimately, virtual reality is going to intensify the stories told in games and really, these headsets may only work with some games. Horror in particular. Driving too. But, we’ll see. Since console gaming in general is becoming less and less interesting (at least with the current generation of games out there), virtual reality can break that dry spell and perhaps a new dawn is approaching. It’s too soon to tell, and I doubt I’d purchase a headset right away. Like the iPhone, it may not be all that great in its first birth. Wait for a few years and let’s see what it can really do. Like the Apple Watch.
Songs of the Week:
- 'Milk & Black Spiders' by Foals
- 'Shyer' by London Grammar
- 'The Joystream' by Anaal Nathrakh
- 'Icipher' by Dark Tranquillity
- 'Immemorial' by Dark Tranquillity
- 'Last Stop: This Town' by Eels
- 'Love of the Loveless' by Eels