Innovation or loophole?

Augmented and virtual reality are innovations that both have revolutionized the technology industry during the past years. Originally created for the leisure of gaming, both have proven themselves to be successful interfaces, and have recently made their ways into more diverse domains, such as business. In fact, these technologies became more than the simple virtual recreation of a given reality, as they are now used by organizations such as the United Nations to train people in specific situations.

The fast-pace spreading of these technologies brings to light several benefits to society, but one could wonder what are the original needs behind such technology. Do people feel a desire for another reality, an utopia? Do they feel the need to accomplish more than what reality can allow then to? (e.g flying)? Or do they actually feel like it can improve their quality of living? To answer this question, the contribution of AR and VR to our society will be analyzed from different perspectives.

First of all, it is important to make a distinguish the differences among both technologies. Augmented reality is associated with the use of a device as an interface, such as a smartphone, whereas virtual reality completely submerges the user into a virtual recreation (“Definition of AUGMENTED REALITY”, 2018). The distinction between concrete reality and its virtual reproduction is easier to assess when using AR rather than VR, thus making the experience with both technologies drastically different.

Many could wonder what makes AR so popular, when in comparison to VR, as this technology does not offer the most extreme nor impressive experience. Actually, the fact that reality and virtuality are easier to distinguish with augmented reality is indeed one of the main reason behind such general public’s preference. Furthermore, people can simply use their smartphones or tablets as an interface to play an augmented reality game, which makes this technology accessible and attractive. Studies show that people feel emotionally attached to a product they can carry on easily and travel around with. In addition, people are more likely to be more engaged in AR compared to VR for its simplicity of usage. Thanks to AR, each user’s smartphone can be seen as a doorway to another world. This makes the transition from reality to the virtual world more simple. As AR usually bases itself on a simplistic view of reality, everything is designed to fit the screen of a smartphone with a small set of options, making it accessible to everyone (Martindale, 2016).

A famous example of a successful game using augmented reality is Pokémon GO. This game was released in July 2016 and has been extremely popular ever since. Thanks to its AR technology, which has the particularity of being portable, Niantic, the developers of Pokémon GO, were able to create a one-of-a-kind type of game. Until now, video games were often considered as the downfall of a generation, and served the stereotype that teenagers did not leave their house anymore. Pokémon GO, on the other hand, forces people to go out and track down their favorite Pokémons. Gamers were also able to appreciate an altered reality of the environment surrounding them, with the game ultimately immersing its users in their favorite anime show. Gamers can now explore new places and rediscover reality. To conclude, augmented reality therefore owes its success to its combination and balance between the reality and virtuality (Z., 2016).

On the other hand, VR consists of completely submerging the user in the virtual world, meaning that the user’s surroundings are either partially or completely virtual. Thanks to the use of VR headsets, the user is enabled to experience a full immersion in another virtual world, an escape from reality. Nevertheless, it is not only for this aspect that VR is attractive.

Indeed, to many specialists and users, VR is considered as a form of art. Similarly to a canvas, Virtual Reality allows users to let their imagination run through (Ferron, 2016). Furthermore, Virtual Reality requires the use of 3 Dimensions designs, rather than 2 Dimensions designs, which allows fantasy and creations to come to life (Sidhu, 2017). Such factors increase the user’s engagement in such technology, which is also reinforced by the social aspect of the interface. Indeed, rather than pulling individuals apart, virtual reality proved itself to be a tool of gathering thanks to multiplayer features and the possibility for everyone to share its creations in virtual reality generated open spaces (Ferron, 2016).

Furthermore, virtual reality is, these days, being developed for educational purposes, but also notably for phobia and situation management. The latter has been introduced as a project by the United Nations, called UNVR. This project consists of a series of short films adapted in VR, tackling challenges such as climate change and refugee crisis. Virtual Reality offers a new form of storytelling, enabling decision makers to get educated by performant sensibilization campaigns about such critical situations (“About — UN Virtual Reality”, 2018). Thanks to the developed technology, the appeal and use of users’ emotions becomes stronger, and could have, in the future, a positive impact on political decision making (Keane, 2016). To boot, it can be noticed that VR has already been adopted in training centers by the US army: Soldiers are specifically trained on how to react in risky and threatening situations such as terrorist attacks or war crisis, notably with the use of virtual reality headsets (“Virtual Reality in the Military — Virtual Reality Society”, n.d.). Similarly, the technology is used to train paramedics during mass casualty events. Medicine students can now even take part in virtual surgeries through VR (“Using VR to train next generation of paramedics”, 2018), which marks great progress compared to what medical students were used to even a decade ago.

For daily usage, VR can also be used for fear management. A famous example is Arachnophobia, developed by IgnisVR. This program consists of the user facing his fear of spiders by immersing the user in an environment slowly filling up with several types of spiders. Psychologists who have tested the program on their patients highly praise its benefits on patients’ phobia and anxiety (Seward, 2016).

To conclude, virtual realities and augmented realities were both technologies developed in order to satisfy existing needs (better education, learn about serious topics), but also in order to create a new lifestyle on a worldwide scale (completely renew the gaming industry, makes way for cinematographic renewal and art development). However, the purpose of their creation is still ambiguous, as VR/AR may be seen as a game for some, or as a loophole for others. It regards personal matters and it is therefore impossible to confirm the motive of the ideas behind these technologies with certainty. Whether it is for recreational purposes or to manage more serious issues, both AR and VR are promising technologies.

References:

About — UN Virtual Reality. (2018). Retrieved from http://unvr.sdgactioncampaign.org/home/about/

Definition of AUGMENTED REALITY. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/augmented%20reality

Ferron, E. (2016). Why VR? The top 6 reasons to embrace virtual reality. Retrieved from https://newatlas.com/why-vr-virtual-reality-matters-future/46739/

Keane, M. (2016). Creating Emotionally Transformative VR Experiences | Adobe Blog. Retrieved from https://theblog.adobe.com/creating-emotionally-transformative-vr-experiences/

Martindale, J. (2016). Get real! How augmented reality toys could make VR feel like a gimmick. Retrieved from https://www.digitaltrends.com/virtual-reality/augmented-reality-toys-future-of-play/

Seward, K. (2016). Virtual Reality is Helping People Overcome Their Fears and Phobias. Retrieved from https://uploadvr.com/virtual-reality-helping-people-overcome-fears-phobias/

Sidhu, B. (2017). VR as the Final Creative Medium — the Imminent Need to Democratize VR Content Creation. Retrieved from https://virtualrealitypop.com/vr-as-the-final-creative-medium-the-imminent-need-to-democratize-vr-content-creation-faffd8f1f943

Using VR to train next generation of paramedics. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20180830/Using-VR-to-train-next-generation-of-paramedics.aspx

Virtual Reality in the Military — Virtual Reality Society. Retrieved from https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-military/

Z., A. (2016). Why Pokemon Go Is So Popular — The New Augmented Reality Craze | Platypus Platypus. Retrieved from https://platypusplatypus.com/news/why-pokemon-go-is-so-popular-the-new-augmented-reality-craze/