Virtual Reality

“Virtual reality refers to computer-generated 3D real-time environments where users interact with the simulated environment. These environments can be as visually rich as any movie, but they differ from movies because the actions users take affect the environment.”(Harrison, Haruvy,& Rutstrom, 2011)

Virtual reality worlds are best known as an environment for on line gamers, who can assume the personality of anyone while playing on line. Many of the virtual reality worlds become so real to the users that they can become totally immersed in their virtual world and start to forget about the real world. While this may create issues for some gamers who may over indulge in their virtual world, the majority of users find that the time spent in a virtual world can be as stimulating as going to a movie or reading books.

While on-line gaming has been the driving force in virtual reality, many other uses are being discovered for this type of technology. Included in that technology are educational and medicinal uses. As an educational tool, virtual reality can be used to help train individuals in many areas, such as driver training, flight training, police and military training. This training can also help to train doctors and other highly skilled professions. The uses for virtual reality in these fields are still being developed, and will be a major tool in education in future years.