Virtual Reality: The Next Frontier or Just a Passing Trend?

Virtual reality is gradually becoming a trend and a part of our world today, as it has made waves in different sectors, making lives easy in some ways, especially in areas of practical work, training, and practices, and that's not forgetting its impact on entertainment, such as gaming, virtual parties at the comfort of your home, medicine, and even transportation. With all of these taking shape, one can't help but wonder if it's going to be the new face of technology in the nearest future, and if that is to be the case, are there any ups and downs associated with it? In this article I'll be exploring all there is to know about virtual reality based on my personal understanding.

Virtual reality is more like an augmented reality that is enhanced by a special headset or goggles that takes you to another world or reality while you're still present in our world. Basically, it shows wearers a different environment depending on what it has been preset to, and these vary depending on the template set, from games to realistic simulations to fantasy lands and the like. Basically, what these do is make these seem super realistic, more like you're living in a different reality for a while. For example, in gaming, you might see yourself as the in-game character, and in practical applications, you see yourself as the one experimenting or driving, depending on what it is.

So can virtual reality become the new face of technology in the near future? The truth is that it's a possibility; it could be, and it might not be, and the reason for that is because technology is evolving and projecting new inventions and life-changing devices almost on a daily basis, so most of these technology devices tend to compete with each other for the hall of fame, which is unlike the period when smartphones or computers were made and literally stood out. It's quite difficult for virtual reality to take center stage in the near future, but what I can say is that it'll be evident and present in maybe things we do therein.

Especially when we consider what it does and how it improves a lot of sectors, imagine all students in a school having access to virtual reality goggles during a teaching and learning class! It'll go a long way in improving understanding due to the firsthand access they'll get to not only being taught theoretical aspects but also being able to see and understand how things work. The same is the case for trainee surgeons, who get to practice on a projected human dummy shown to them, and the possibility of what could follow their actions is seen firsthand, making it an important tool for training, practice, and case understanding.

Talking about if virtual reality can lead to addiction and health issues for users, the truth is that it's possible, but then it's all down to the purpose of its usage and the individual using it. Generally, we ought to train ourselves to be time conscious with everything we do, and when we aren't, its repercussions would definitely be severe for those who use it for studies and practice purposes. I believe if done within a minimum timeframe, there won't be cause for alarm, but using it for entertainment has shown that it can lead to addiction or endanger our health, from motion sickness, social isolation, and eye strain to even self-inflicted injuries when we can't differentiate between what is real and what isn't.

Overall, I think there's nothing good that doesn't have its disadvantage or isn't misused or abused, so that shouldn't take away the importance and relevance of virtual reality. What we need to work on is encouraging moderate usage and confining ourselves to a setup space that restricts movement from a spot while using it so as to reduce the rate of self-inflicted injuries we usually see with people. With these and self-awareness, I believe we will be able to harness the best virtual reality has to offer our generation and the world at large.

_{All photos are taken and edited on canva application photo library.}