It may be a long way from creating full-on game systems that have interactive worlds all in the comfort of one’s home, like in the movie “Ready Player One”, however, today’s advancements in virtual reality do take realms of science fiction into these systems.
VR consoles are reaching high trends in 2019. They are mostly being used to focus on ways that virtual reality can be incorporated in teaching and visualizing.
It is becoming more adapted into everyday life for video games, according to aBernard Marr, a futurist writer for Forbes.
This trend has also sparked interest in individual students and organizations on Winthrop’s campus that are looking to see the potential in using the new technology.
VR has been a household name for gamers with games such as “Beat Saber” and “Super Hot” and it is evolving gaming.
“The idea of virtual reality is simple, and a great many popular games currently available for VR consoles are simple enough for a wide audience to pick up,” Matthew Hoshauer, a sophomore computer science major, said. “VR also provides an avenue to re-experience dear to heart titles to invigorate the love of those games again.”
One of the ways that Winthrop’s Competitive Gaming Club is able to use VR is by reaching out to students to visit their monthly meetings to try out some of the new video games it has to offer.
“VR is definitely making its way to the mainstream, even onto this campus, and in our very own club,” Hoshauer said.
VR consoles are becoming more innovative in transporting viewers of the realms of their favorite games.
Although VR is currently costly, the advancements of technology have allowed VR consoles like the Vive and Oculus to be more affordable to consumers. This is how gaming consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are becoming more affordable today, as technology continues to make new strives.
“As VR technology advances, the price of older models will obviously become more accessible,” Hoshauer said.
Winthrop students are using VR technology because it immerses players with games such as “Beat Saber.” This appeals to gamers and has them look at the technological advances of VR consoles like the Vive and Oculus compared to regular console games.
“VR games provide unmatched immersion and new ways to enjoy video games that are popular that consoles cannot provide. The reason the title was [and still is] so massively successful is because of its innovation” Hoshauer said. “ Players are able to play a rhythm game through the use of their own hands [via very accurate motion sensor controllers] and become far more immersed than using a controller and watching TV or monitor.”
Advances aren’t just becoming mainstream in the United States, but countries all over the world are utilizing the potential in VR.
Japan opened a VR focused amusement park called Mazaria in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo. The amusement park features multiple VR games such as “Mario Kart Arcade GP VR” and games based on hit anime such as “Neon Genesis Evangelion” and “Mobile Suit Gundam.” These types of games help make players feel like they’re in those specific worlds by creating immersive environments.
“The video game industry in Japan is massive, so it doesn’t surprise me a major city like Ikebukuro would receive a theme park on [the new] technology. I think this is an incredible marketing stunt, and is likely to be incredibly fun for tourists enjoying the mall,” Hoshauer said. “To someone not so knowledgeable on video games, especially VR, this is a wonderful segway to allow people to learn about and enjoy VR experiences for the first time.”
Combining video gaming with VR allows players to not only feel immersive worlds with new games, but also it shows a sense of wonder to how VR is progressing outside the realm of entertainment.
With the technology being adopted by companies like Walmart to train employees and Facebook’s recent purchasing of Oculus, VR will is becoming a facet of everyday life.
“I think VR will become increasingly popular and will likely surpass console gaming in the future as VR technology is perfected and reimagined,” Hoshauer said.
Though technology is advancing today, there are still consoles that need work on making their technology more innovative and improve on what can be done with it.
“[VR] is going to go real far, but it’s going to take a lot of time to do it,” Curran Cannon, a sophomore undeclared major, said.
A change is coming not just to video games, but also with how individuals interact with the world and with how this new technology will be used to find creative solutions to train and adapt human ingenuity.
“VR has already vastly exceeded my expectations; I didn’t think we’d have easily accessible VR games until well into my 20s,” Hoshauer said. “The future of VR is ambiguous, but I would be willing to bet the next step in VR is being able to interact with other VR players fluidly with much less bugs.”
Graphic: Elizabeth Talbert/ The Johnsonian
