Nadia Persaud

Wednesday's class was the first time I had ever been fully immersed in any sort of virtual reality. I had seen 360 videos before, but never through a VR headset. I've always thought the videos were a cool way to experience an event from all angles, but I never imagined how amazing it would be to actually put on a headset. I decided to start off with the solitary confinement virtual reality, since it seemed to be the most interesting concept. Others were really interested in that VR too, so I watched three to four people go before I had the chance. Watching what they were seeing through the headset on the computer screen was interesting because I couldn't understand why they were focused on certain things and why they spent time lingering at what I thought was mundane, like an old cup or a blanket. I watched as some people tried to sit down on a bed that was clearly a part of the VR simulation, wondering how they couldn't realize that the bed wasn't really there. But then it was my turn to put on the headset. As soon as I strapped it onto my face, put the headphones over my ears and picked up the hand controllers, I honestly felt like I had been transported to another place instantaneously. I couldn't believe how instantly trapped I felt by the four walls of the tiny jail cell before me. I'm mildly claustrophobic, so my chest tightened up as I turned my head in all different angles observing the ceiling, floors and walls of the cell. Just like the others who I'd seen go before me, I felt as if I'd be able to sit on the cell's bed or pick up a cup or even shake hands with the narrator of the story.  It was amazing to say the least; I think the ability to walk around the room and "touch" things with my hand controllers helped with the feeling of being physically present in the simulation. In this particular VR, I thought having the ex-prisoner there telling his story was very effective. Even more than that, it was a good idea to have him looking off in a different direction as he tells his story. I think I would have been much too uncomfortable to make eye contact with the guy as he tells his painful story.

The other VR experience that I found myself feeling physically present in was the cinema VR with the Samsung Gear headset. In particular, I chose a clip from the film Pete's Dragon that made it feel like you were flying on a dragon's back. I turned my head up, left, right and then down to see how far above the ground I was. With the sound of the wind blowing by my ears, I couldn't help but feel like I was actually flying through the air, hundreds if not thousands of feet above the ground. The screen resolution of this VR was very crisp, which only made it more believable. Sitting down on a chair was also a good idea because I felt like I was actually sitting on the dragon's back. I couldn't help but smile and laugh a couple of times because I love mystical creatures, so you could imagine how cool it felt to be flying on the back of a dragon. I'm also a big fan of heights, but I did feel a bit of rush through my stomach when I looked down and saw how high above the ground I appeared to be. I think this might have happened because the brain believes what it sees, so if it sees and hears itself flying through the air, it's going to react as if it truly is experiencing these things. In this case, I didn't think that not having the ability to walk around hindered the VR experience at all. There were no boundaries set by any walls, so I didn't feel the need to explore the area around me like I had in the prison cell. Instead, sitting down was the perfect way to feel as if I was truly in the video-- it also helped to be able to look all around me and see where I was from all different angles.

One final VR experience that I thought was really cool was the Stranger Things horror VR. It was so amazing to feel as if I was really in the Beyer's home that I'd watched on Netflix a dozen times. Again, being able to look all around really helped with the feeling of physical presence, and so did the video "pulling" you through the house to make up for the fact that you can't walk around the VR simulation with the Gear headset. I was too scared to watch the entire video because there's an awful feeling of something being right around the corner, so I just watched someone else go through the simulation instead. I saw him wince and jump as something he saw startled him. When he took off the headset, he said it was scary because he felt like he'd see something pop out near him at any moment, and I think the 3D sound really helps with that feeling because it introduces proximity and the idea that we can experience something "near us" just by how close it sounds to our body. I did hear him complaining about the smoothness of the head tracking, though; he said that if it had been a bit smoother, the experience would have been more believable. Another person who watched the same simulation immediately felt the need to sit down as the video forced him to walk through the house. I think he might have felt this way because his eyes were telling him he was moving, which can cause nausea. It's similar to the sensation you get when you're standing on a stationary platform as you watch a train go by near you. You almost feel as if the train is stationary and the platform is the one that's running 50 mph alongside the tracks!