Evolution of Gaming Virtual Reality’s growing popularity has begun to transfer to the world of video games BY JENNINGS FELT
Imagine this: You’re scuba diving. A
colorful school of fish passes by and some jellyfish bob along. Everything appears so tangible, but your eyes deceive you. Welcome to virtual reality. Through the years, gaming technology has majorly improved. Even though the virtual reality headset was created in 1968, it has only recently become a huge trend in the gaming world. There are a variety of different adventures a player can partake in. Senior Katherine Curtis had her own experience with the scary realistic features offered by VR. Her most memorable VR experience was running away from zombies as they chased her. “Basically, I was in the middle of this room, and there were just zombies coming from all around,” Curtis said. Even though it was a frightening experience, she still believes the new technology is highly entertaining. “It is cool that you feel like you’re not where you actually are. You’re in some alternate universe,” Curtis said. Many think VR is merely another way for kids and teenagers to sit at home in front of their screens. However, freshman Conor McGushin believes it can serve a purpose greater than entertainment. It can also aid in the business world. “Not only can it be used for gaming, but later on it will affect tons of jobs, partly taking away from traveling for meetings,” McGushin said.
In addition to changing the working landscape, VR has the ability to allow families and friends to connect. “I have a friend that I don’t get to see anymore in the real world,” McGushin said. “But I can see him using VR, which is just more fun than being on a phone call with them.” By using avatars and speaking through microphones, McGushin and his friend are able to communicate and play various VR games with each other. Though VR has been around for awhile, Curtis believes that offering it to a broader audience would enhance the technology. “It would be cool for kids if it was more accessible for everyone,” Curtis said. Not only is accessibility important, but so is the quality of the goggles. This is necessary in order to have a realistic view of the virtual scenery. “There are always ways it could improve,” McGushin said. “The main one is improving the amount of pixels on different screens, but different VR goggles require different changes.” No matter what needs to be improved, VR is still a widely popular video game tool. In the future, it has the possibility to extend its reach by aiding businesses and creating jobs.
Photo illustration | Alison Pike | Louis Volker
Layout | Abby Keane
NOVEMBER 2019
17
