My first experience with virtual reality occurred in my freshman year COM 107 class when a classmate brought in their own VR headset and it was subsequently passed around for each student to try. This experience paled in comparison to my time experimenting in the innovation lab, which featured several different types of VR devices. Some of my favorite storytelling techniques included a music video for the song ‘Kids’ by Onerepublic which worked very well in VR. It felt very surreal being in the scene, almost as if I was a bystander in the young love story taking place. I also really enjoyed experiencing one of my favorite shows, Mr. Robot, in VR because it felt like I was physically present in the story. What contributed to this effect was definitely how the show is narratively structured to have the protagonist, Elliot, speaking directly to the audience, almost as if I was a character in the story. It was also surreal to be standing in the same room together, in a VR sense, so I could actually see and almost feel how the characters felt being there. However, one criticism I will note about watching the show in VR is that there would be so much occurring at one time that I had difficulty determining where I should direct my attention.

I would feel a bit nauseous at times, when the virtual scene was moving but I was not, physically. This is a similar sensation I’ve felt before when I watch movies in 3-D. Screen resolution and sound was definitely an important aspect in making the virtual reality experience actually feel like reality. If screen resolution was bad, which it was in one of the cardboard headsets, or the sound was off, the experience didn’t feel real. In one instance, I was on a sidewalk in New York City and I heard a car go by with the sound moving as it drove off to the distance. Had the sound been two-dimensional, it definitely would have taken away from the feeling of being on a NYC street. The full spherical range of vision is also something that I feel is crucial to the VR experience because it allows you to see the scene you’re experiencing as you would if you were there. While in the lab, I noticed my classmates and I would be taking advantage of this feature as we turned our heads repeatedly throughout our respective virtual experiences. I also really enjoyed creating 3-D busts in one of the programs. Although it took me a few tries, it was amazing to see the finished bust on the iPad and be able to rotate the 3-D image. While this may be the beginning of my journey with virtual reality, it is certainly only beginning.