There is no such thing as pure VR

I have been having a lot of discussions recently with colleagues about the nature of virtual reality. Different people have different definitions for which experiences, exactly, should be considered VR, and what experiences shouldn’t.

But one thing that we all agree on is that there is actually no such thing as pure virtual reality. In a sense, VR is a kind of willful collective fiction, albeit an often useful one.

The reason is pretty simple: No matter what technology you use to virtually “transport” you to another world, you still remain within your body. You may have the sensation of an out of body experience, but that is an illusion.

There is nothing new about this principle. For example, many people cry at movies, even though they know full well that they are looking at a recording of actors playing make-believe. The power of all media depends on our human ability to ignore literal reality when we wish to.

Similarly, when you are wearing that VR headset, even if you don’t perceive the wall or the couch or the coffee table, you know that they are still there, and that your physical body could still run into them.

And that’s really ok.