I am admittedly a bit of a skeptic when it comes to virtual reality. I like the idea of being immersed in a video game or in a movie with the help of a virtual reality headset, but the idea of wearing a similar headset while riding a roller coaster or while exercising seems a little extra. One of the reasons entertainment (via video games, movies, theme parks, etc.) is valued so highly is because it enables escapism; one of the things that initially bothered me about virtual reality was its implication that our non-virtual experiences aren’t enough for us anymore. Two parts of me have been in battle with each other: the part of me that sincerely loves technology and is in constant admiration of the incredible things in enables us to do, and the part of me (probably the English major part) that enjoys pondering and debating how technology is impacting us physiologically and socially, positively or negatively.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.First off, what exactly is virtual reality?

Virtual reality, or VR, is defined by Google as “the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors.” Virtual reality employs artificial sights and sounds, delivered through headphones, glasses, and/or headsets to give users access to a virtual world.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate to have a work colleague bring in his virtual reality gear for everyone in the office to try out. Here’s my best explanation of what experiencing something unexplainable was like:

First, my colleague fitted the headset, which looks like a pair of bulky, mirrored goggles, over my eyes and large headphones over my ears. I couldn’t see anything and could barely hear anyone talking to me—I was completely shut off from my reality, the only assurance being the feeling of the floor beneath my feet. I was handed two, well, what I can only describe as remote controls, each with a trigger and large button in the center, one in each hand. My colleague turned the program on using his desktop computer, and suddenly I was inside a tiled room.

Thin blue lines, like security lasers, outlined my boundary. Because of the way the gear and sensors had been set up around the office, the program could tell how far I could go before I ran into a wall or someone’s desk.

Before me in the tiled room was a concave menu screen, showing all the games you could play and places you could visit in the virtual reality. Following a prompt on the main menu, I was instantly immersed inside a video game. Maybe video game isn’t the right word, because it felt like I was actually there. In this particular game, I was defending a castle from little stick figures trying to barge through the front door. I was standing on an outside balcony looking at the castle grounds below where the figures were invading. It looked like they were 50 feet below me, when in reality I was only looking down at my shoes. It was TRIPPY. My brain was taking in the computer images and projecting depth into them, so it felt like I was in a real, 3-D world. Using my two remote controls, I shot flaming arrows at the stick figures to defeat them before they could storm my castle. On the outside (or, in the real world), I was actually moving my arms like an archer, aiming by extending my left arm and pulling the “arrow” back with my right arm. And, just in case anyone is wondering, I totally won the game. #humblebrag

The weirdest, most trippy experience I had in the virtual world? When I leaned my face toward a “torch” on the castle wall, I felt the heat from the fake fire warm my cheeks. My brain perceived it as an actual fire! What!

After exploring some more virtual worlds (an English garden, a view of Earth from the moon), I removed my headset and other gear. Just like that, it was over. Coming out of the virtual world was…sad, in a weird way. I didn’t want it to be over. I could’ve stayed in it for hours. And then I had to like, go back to work?! Totally unfair.

The reality (pun intended) is that the possibilities virtual reality holds are endless. It's going to go way beyond users taking a break from the work day to play inside a castle. VR is projected to become normalized within the next few years, and it's going to be seen a lot more frequently in the entertainment and marketing industries. Think about how quickly online publications caught on to Snapchat Stories, partially due to the abundance of smartphones there is in the modern world; once the virtual reality headset becomes as common a household item as the desktop computer and the smartphone once did, advertising and entertainment in the virtual world is going to blow up. Companies such as YouTube, The New York Times, Six Flags Over Georgia, and IMAX are already experimenting with virtual reality. Will VR soon replace 3-D glasses in movie theaters as the next "it" thing? Will it replace our tablets, which were considered ground-breaking technological innovations only a decade ago? What is going to happen (seriously asking)?

I have officially been converted to a virtual reality fan, and I am excited to see what the future holds for the virtual world.

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