Do you remember the craze when the first VR headsets were created and released? Everybody wanted a headset for themselves, the two of us included. While we first encountered it as a tool meant for the gaming industry, it isn’t only linked with gaming! Back in the day when they were released, they used to cost a lot, and a lot of people considered them a fad – they saw VR headsets as a current trend, much like the Walkman for example. But to our surprise, VR is still prevalent, and it’s being used not only in the industry of gaming but many others! Now we will finally be able to justify buying a headset for ourselves. Jokes aside, today we wanted to introduce you to some of the branches VR is involved with. In no specific order, here they are:
Gaming Industry
We wanted to start with the gaming industry because that was what introduced us to VR in the first place. It is still heavily being used for gaming, as it allows players to experience the world in which the game is set; you can walk around the place where your character walked, “touch” whatever they touched, etc. To us, gamers, this was something groundbreaking back in the day, and to be quite honest, it still is. Being able to feel the world you played in is something we can’t even put into words.
Medicine and healthcare
As we mentioned, VR isn’t only used for entertainment purposes only. It’s been heavily used at medical universities around the world in order to help students better understand how certain surgeries are done (students are practically getting surgical training), or how certain body parts function. Not only does it help students understand how certain things work, but it’s also used in the treatment of patients! With a VR headset on, some patients can be treated for mental health issues (it is most beneficial to patients with GAD or PTSD) as the images VR projects can be very therapeutic.
Driving Lessons
With the help of VR, you can now experience driving without actually setting a foot on the road! However bizarre this sounds, it is actually very helpful for everyone who has never driven before. VRs are being used in driving schools as a tool that helps their students understand the traffic better, and as a tool that will rid them of the fear of stepping on the road. You, as a student, practically “play a game” of driving (much like Need For Speed) while at the same time you learn how and when you need to turn, you learn when to brake, etc.
Tourism
We know – it sounds funny. Tourism and VR?! How do you mix these two things? Very easily, if you ask us. There are many apps that allow you to visit a place you never visited via VR in order to get a glimpse of what it would be like if you were there; One of those apps is called “Try Before You Fly” and it has really increased the number of tourists in the USA just because it allowed people to digitally walk the streets of any city in the USA.
In conclusion
VR is still being heavily used in 2021, and the prognosis is that it will be used even more in the future, as our technology advances and we advance with it.