A Virtual Reality Check
"Picture yourself in a boat on a river. With tangerine trees and marmalade skies" -The Beatles
The Oculus arrived at my door and I opened it with the excitement of the kid from 'Christmas Story' when he finally got his BB Gun. I plugged her in, and after a bit of frustration getting her humming, I was ready to explore the virtual worlds that would push the limits of my imagination…..instead I got shot in my mind's eye with a bb of boredom.
I downloaded everything from roller coasters, which were fun the first time around, to horror movies, that gave a scare but were ultimately just dark and filled with a few cheap shocking moments. There was nothing that drew me back for more and it was wildly disappointing.
How could this be, that with all the hype, all the money, all the wild tech being built, no one could create an experience that left me wanting for more? So I decided to hit the road, and more literally hop on plane and go to where the cutting edge action was, the film festivals.
First stop the mountains of Park City, Utah, to a magical land known as Sundance. Surely here in the much talked about New Frontier installation of the festival I would be delighted by groundbreaking storytelling. I would be dazzled by a use of Virtual Reality technology that would make me daydream at work about getting home just to have the experience one more time. These filmmakers were, after all, the people with the most access, funding and press surrounding VR.
Hop aboard the rollercoaster to SeriousTown, USA:
1st Stop- 'Wild' I got to sit on a log next to Reese Witherspoon, not sure I'd want to do that in real life.
2nd Stop- 'The Party' I'm back in college at a dorm room party- hey this is pretty cool...twist it is a very real tale of misinterpreted signals that lead ultimately to 2 lives being ruined by date rape...now I'm sad.
3rd Stop- Reliving a mass execution- well that was just what I wanted to see after watching a story surrounding alcohol and and the future of our country make unconscionable decisions.
4th Stop- 'Project Syria' Warning Spoiler Alert: Wander around a children's refugee camp in Syria...just to watch it get bombed.
5th Stop- Get the hell out of dodge and hit the nearest bar, where I could drown my sorrows in a tall, cold glass of beer followed by a shot of High West bourbon (which in case you are wondering is distilled in Park City and is delicious).
I understand that the power of an immersive experience can help people have a deeper understanding of the human condition, but can we at least have a little comic relief?
I hopped on another plane, left the mountains behind, and found myself at the TriBeCa film festival where I'd hoped after a few months things would have progressed. I was wrong. It was mainly recycling the same content from Sundance, but they put a splash of a Palestinian debating an Israeli on top, as this is clearly something that needs the Virtual Reality treatment.
I'm not sure what I'm looking for is out there yet. I want to feel all the feels, and I want to be transported to places that not only make me say wow, but that leave me wanting for more.
It seems everyone is fixated on the technology. The idea that novelty alone will get people hooked. If virtual hindsight is 20/20, then this approach failed in the 90's when VR made its first push. The technologists need to get a drink with the storytellers. We have the power to make it work this time, we can tell stories, we can use technology to make it feel real.
I strongly believe in this nascent industry, and I am going to keep looking for the girl with kaleidoscope eyes because I know she's out there, and when I find her i'm going to fall head over heels…I hope this time 'round she doesn't break my heart.
Share This Article
