Late post, but I was finally granted access into the system after WordPress gave me the runaround for a minute since I registered for the class late...

Experimenting with all VR technology in the lab was mind blowing for me.  I guess I should preface all this by saying that going into this class, I'd heard things from my friends about Oculus Rift and the HTC 1, Google Cardboard and the ever-changing nature of how we interact with multimedia and tell our stories...but I never really had taken the time out to explore VR technologies or learn more about them.

Seems like I've been missing out on a lot.

I took this class as a Newhouse elective to expose me to the VR realm and give me certain skills that would make me more more marketable as a news or sports reporter in my field.  What I didn't know was that even after our very first class, I'd realize just how much I didn't know and just how much I wanted to learn about VR.

I was amazed at just how realistic my experience was with Oculus Rift.  Going through the Battle of Hoth and Iron Man Avengers simulators really gave me a solid introduction into the VR world.  I imagine I looked really stupid, sitting there in a chair with my arms outstretched, twisting and turning every which way and falling sideways.  But I was, in that moment, a person who didn't care care about how stupid I looked, lost in the Rift world and wanting to experience  more.  I really believed in that instant that this is all truly the way of the future, and that it has the power to strengthen human interaction with evolving technologies.

This might sound a bit cliche, and maybe some of you had this same epiphany 3 years ago when you first started school, but this is all so new to me that I'm still in this VR honeymoon phase of sorts.  although I can't see how the novelty could ever wear off, especially considering we're always coming out with new innovations in this particular field.

While using Oculus Rift, I almost felt as if what was unfolding in front of my eyes was a forgotten memory, something that could've happened to me in another past, another world. I've seen other posts citing a lecture from Professor Pacheco saying something similar in nature, and I couldn't agree more. Overall, a great first experience, and I can't wait to learn more about this new emerging field.