A Rift in Reality

Embed from Getty Images

Kid tripping out in virtual reality

As we wait with bated breath for the what is arguably the first wave of consumer-based virtual reality products, it is natural to anticipate a shift, a rift if you will, in entertainment and social interaction.

Will products like the Oculus Rift and Sony’s VR headset merely provide an alternate way to experience media? Or do they represent the first step in our inevitable decline into Wall-E-esque existence? For that, we’ll just have to see. What may be easier to consider, is how an easily-available virtual reality will impact those with disabilities.

It is easy to see how an easily-accessible virtual reality will provide benefits to those with a range of mobile disabilities. For example, someone paralyzed from the waist down can “walk” among a landscape. But what about other disabilities? Specifically, what about epilepsy?

As an epileptic, I wasn’t allowed to play video games as a child. I couldn’t watch certain movies (sometimes I didn’t realize this until I had to hide under my coat in a movie theater), and I definitely can’t go to clubs. These are hardly things to complain about, but the truth remains that a virtual reality may never be a reality to those with seizure disorders.

An already highly stigmatized disorder could become further visible with an increased trend toward a digital existence. While bringing visibility to the disorder is, in my opinion, a necessity (I am, after all, writing this article), VR could amplify the alienation some epileptics often feel. As virtual reality hedges toward a truer reality, and perhaps a preferable or default reality, how will those unable to access this new “global community” adjust?

I, for one, am not against the development of virtual realities. I recognize the extreme talent, artistically and technically, that goes into creating VR products and landscapes. It’s amazing that we can replicate and advance our own environments, a lot of times for the better. But it’s worth considering, if only for a moment, how a fully-immersive, widely-accepted virtual world will affect those unable to visit it.

What do you think?