New Worlds Through A Set of Lenses
Anyone else notice the addition of Gaming Stations?
Not cafes for gaming, but newly placed areas for companies to showcase their latest technology. You can come across them in malls, many of which have multiple devices open for the public to try out.
One particular device that caught my attention was the VR Headset.
Just like the Google “Cardboard VR” headsets, these made a big boom!
Shortform for “Virtual Reality,” these VR Headsets encompass the ability, and technology, to showcase various types of games through the headset itself, placing its players into an unknown world.
People would line up and wait for their turn at the headset, as players would swing their hands from left to right, or jump up from surprise. It appeared to be a blast in my eyes, but I wondered:
Why is this so popular?
Frankie Wallace, who talks about VR Technology, brought up how this growing interest in VR has, so to say, “leveled up” the customer’s range of gaming.
Wallace exclaims that “at their core, video games are stories, and when developing technology is introduced, stories evolve. This means there are whole new ways for games to be enjoyed” (Wallace, 2018).
So, knowing that VR is available for PC, phone and game consoles, it gives a wide range for anyone to try it. For example, Beat Saber and VRChat blasted the gaming community!
Kaylee Fagan, who dug into the world of VRChat, discussed how this free multiplayer game moved past the term itself.
Not only being available with or without a headset, VRChat was said to let “people socialize, attend events, take classes, create art, play games, perform for large crowds, and explore virtual environments — all from the comfort of their own homes” (Fagan, 2018).
Despite being described as “walking through a bizarre, stiff, 8-bit dream” (Fagan, 2018), the game itself has allowed people to talk with others freely, and engage in virtual activities with friends.
Fagan mentions the message of a user known by “NikinCZ,” stating they felt happier with their experience through VRChat, making new friends. NikinCZ became less isolated in VRChat, and engaged themselves with new people due to not fearing awkwardness or rejection.
Beat Saber, described as “players slic[ing] their way through an EDM soundtrack, which the company’s music-mixing CEO produced” (Lucas Matney, 2019), exploded in the market.
Online communities enjoyed playing this game, streaming it through platforms for others to watch.
Selling over a million copies in a year, CEO of Beat Saber’s company Jaroslav Beck, explains “finishing the game isn’t about just bringing in all of these new features, but it’s about capturing the full potential of the game” (Matney, 2019).
Swinging light sabers to catchy tunes? I would do it.
With such realism and impact, gamers can’t help falling in love with the communities from across the world.
The VR Headset not only creates this, but can do so much more – just wait a couple more years gamers.
Reference List
Fagan, Kaylee. “A large number of people have come out saying VRChat has saved their lives — here’s what it’s like to experience the online meeting place of the 21st century.” Business Insider, 1st Mar. 2018, www.businessinsider.com/vrchat-explained-2018-2. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
Google. Google Cardboard. arvr.google.com/intl/en_ca/cardboard/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
Matney, Lucas. “How Beat Saber Beat the odds.” TechCrunch, 8 May 2019, techcrunch.com/2019/05/08/how-beat-saber-beat-the-odds/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
NikinCZ. “[Discussion] All the negative thoughts are gone.” Reddit, 27 Feb. 2018, www.reddit.com/r/VRchat/comments/80m4iv/discussion_all_the_negative_thoughts_are_gone/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.
Wallace, Frankie. “VR Gaming and the Technology’s Impact On The World.” HeadStuff, 15 Oct. 2018, www.headstuff.org/entertainment/gaming/vr-technology-and-the-gaming-world/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.
Leveling Up: Video Game Curiosity 