Literary Analysis Essay: How Virtual Reality is Affecting Actual Reality

Introduction

The advent of motion pictures and 3D images is revolutionizing the experience of virtual reality and the actual reality. In the recent development, Microsoft Corporation developed the Microsoft Kinetic Sensors as important tools for multimedia computing (Zhang, 2012). Through this sensor, the computer can easily have a sense of a third dimension of the player and his the environment. This is just, but an example of a virtual reality technology whose effects are far-reaching in determining our actual realities. This paper looks into the various ways in which the virtual reality technologies affect how we experience the actual reality.

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One of the most common technologies that can exemplify virtual reality is the video conferencing. According to (Daly-Jones, Monk & Watts), there are a number of technologies that can allow for the transmission of video images from one person to the other through the chosen gadget. A comparison of how different discussants perform in both video conferencing and actual conferencing revealed that the discussants were more fluent and articulate than those in actual meetings. This could be because when one is in a video conference, he only focuses on the camera but not the audience. This brings false confidence that allows for fluency. In the treatment of victims of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the virtual reality comes into place to help the victims visualize the tarmac situations better (Wiederhold & Wiederhold, 2008). Cognitive therapy is a treatment mechanism in which the victim of a traumatizing situation is exposed to the same situation during the treatment. The therapist makes the patient relive the traumatizing moments so that the patient may develop resilience. The study by (Wiederhold, & Wiederhold, 2008) indicated that patients who underwent cognitive therapy by exposing them to past traumatizing events through the use of virtual reality perform better than the patients who relive these events through imagine exposure.

Conclusion

Basically, the virtual reality brings out the abstract ideas as actual ideas which are easier to fathom. Therefore, a serious concept like climate change that has remained a fairy tale for long can easily be figured out using the technologies of the virtual reality. The reality of carbon dioxide emission and its effects are very abstract unless presented in a more realistic manner. In the study done by (Bennadji, Laing, & Gray, 2015) about urban planning and green constructions, the researchers noted that the presentation of a construction plan using a vocalized reality had the effect of convincing the financiers more than the presentations done in images and physical forms. Hence, the researchers used animated data to present the reality of the city plan to include the human traffic, the calculated amount of carbon dioxide emission and the flow of vehicles along eh streets. This animated data appealed more to the financiers than the static images of an urban plan. The indication is that the financiers were able to make sense of the green construction in animated images than in static images. A similar study was done by Renden, Savelsbergh, & Oudejans (2017) on police simulated training. The study established that the reflex-based training through simulated images was more effective in preparing the officers for high-pressure arrest situations than the actual training that leaves out some important components of the process. The virtual training helps the police to develop such skills as communication, assertiveness, situational awareness and resolution.

References

Bennadji, A., Laing, R., & Gray, D. (2015). Urban Planning and Climate Change Mitigation: Using Virtual Reality to Support the Design. Emerging issues, challenges, and opportunities in urban e-planning, 210.

Daly-Jones, O., Monk, A., & Watts, L. (1998). Some advantages of video conferencing over high-quality audio conferencing: fluency and awareness of attentional focus. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 49(1), 21-58.

Renden, P. G., Savelsbergh, G. J., & Oudejans, R. R. (2017). Effects of reflex-based self-defence training on police performance in simulated high-pressure arrest situations. Ergonomics, 60(5), 669-679.

Wiederhold, B. K., & Wiederhold, M. D. (2008). Virtual reality for posttraumatic stress disorder and stress inoculation training. Journal of CyberTherapy & Rehabilitation, 1(1), 23-35.

Zhang, Z. (2012). Microsoft Kinect sensor and its effect. IEEE multimedia, 19(2), 4-10.