For my VR class' independent learning requirement, I read the book "Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Videos Games" by Robert Denton Bryant and Keith Giglio. I was intrigued by the book because I had always wondered how video games were written. This semester, I had gained experience in writing for journalistic purposes, such as feature writing, profile writing, and critical writing. I had even read a screenwriting book a few summers ago. But the art of writing for video games was foreign to me.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that, in a way, virtual reality simulations are akin to video games. You control where your character goes, there are things for you to check out as your character. Based on your actions, you might miss out on certain parts of the universe. And, depending on what you do, your story has more than one possible final outcome. Journalism and screenwriting work differently in that there is only one ending to think of. They are linear. There is no escape from the story. With video games, you have to consider all possible outcomes. They are nonlinear. Games are more defined in terms of action. The actions are what build the game's world. The actions are what create the emotions within the game player's mind. In video games, the dialogue must be short and sweet to keep the players immersed. But both mediums are built by goals for what they want to instill in their audiences. And the book advises that, in order to thrive in the business these days, one must know how to do all kinds of writing for audiences.

As I create my final project for virtual reality, I am keeping all of these things in mind in creating my own virtual reality experience. The main question to ask is, "What do I want my first person character to do?" It'll take a different style of writing and of creating. But it'll be an interesting experience either way.