VR Diaries: ‘Fight for Falluja’ Fostered Real Empathy
“Fight for Falluja” by the New York Times was my first virtual reality experience using a headset. After and during the story, there were moments where I forgot it was VR and I really felt as if I was there with the soldiers and journalists. It was such a foreign feeling. I would forget that I was sitting in a classroom. This first happened when I turned all the way around for the first time and saw the 360 view. I was actually there.
The most powerful and touching part was also what I remember most vividly: The interview with the woman at the refugee camp. Although she had nothing, she expressed how lucky she was to be there, in a safe place where she doesn’t have the fear of bombs falling from the sky at any moment. She said that the hot sand in the 120-degree weather didn’t bother her. Many of the refugees have to live outside because there isn’t enough shelter for all of them. On the other hand, the weakest parts were the moments I felt taken out of the story. Although standing up would have not been pragmatic in the setting we were placed in for this particular experiment, I felt at times that sitting down took away from the experience. I think that if I was walking and moving around, the experience would have felt more real. Sitting down made you feel like you were watching a 3D movie at times, which you essentially are. Other technical issues were that my lenses were not in full focus, and I wanted to adjust that, as well as the volume. However once you start the VR, you don’t want to mess with or skew the experience in any way.
In terms of its storytelling, I really loved the narrative — the journalist’s voice was soothing and serious, yet very engaging. That being said, it was difficult at times to pay attention to the narrative because of the distractions from the visuals. What could have helped is being able to stop and look, before immediately playing the narrative — having moments of silence before he starts talking again. What really worked were the interviews and voice-over/translation. There definitely could have been more of those. The interviews are what made this experience especially human because a lot of times I was looking around, wanting to interact, wanting to know what they were feeling and thinking. Hearing from people directly is more personal than hearing the story from a reporter’s perspective.
Overall, this was a very moving and foreign experience, and when I think back to it, some of it feels like a real memory as if I was there. By watching this piece, my view of the subject matter and people was definitely heightened. Already, I think VR truly has the ability to create empathy. When I took off my headset, it made me feel weird and uncomfortable to be back in a classroom in an incredible facility at a very privileged and advanced school. I felt in a daze for the longest time, almost as if I wanted to go back. It was a feeling of wanting to embrace the refugees with open arms, wanting to let them know that I am here for them. But that was something that I couldn’t literally do. Also to note, as a millennial, I feel that I shouldn’t be as shocked and amazed as I was with the technology of VR — it scares me for the future that one day, no one will travel or leave their homes and instead, live through VR.
