Why I’m Excited about Virtual Reality (VR) and this is why you should be too

Originally published at www.vudream.com on October 9, 2017.

What comes to mind when you think of VR?

Maybe a goofy looking guy at the mall losing balance in front of his friends.

OR

A senior citizen putting up a cardboard box to his eyes.

Right and wrong.

So many of us focus on the micro and not the macro. If you involve yourself in the VR industry your perceptual apparatus might be a little broader but still incorrect.

Micro Focus in Virtual Reality

Today, technological products are being released that try to do a specific goal. To simulate reality using computer-generated graphics. Micro factors include market size, industry investment, consumer awareness and many other factors.

In other words, the microfocus is about being pragmatic and producing a marketable product that is viable today. A good example of this is the energy industry and how much change has come and will come in the upcoming years. If you talk to someone a hundred years ago they might think of a Windmill when you talk about energy. Another might say a horse or a battery.

In 2017 the micro of the industry is the current VR content on the steam and Oculus store. Price drops with the HTC vive and Oculus Rift and the upcoming VR headsets that will be released.

I’m not disregarding micro-vision. It’s extremely important for the short term and the long term as well. You need to know where you are currently at to be able to move forward.

Being said, I implore all developers to hop on virtual reality as soon as possible. Create games, applications, and anything your heart desires. I understand it’s hard putting your resources into something you might not get a return on but it’s necessary for the community to develop and grow.

I’ve recently pivoted my own VR startup, VU Dream to helping out small studios and developers market, brand and publicize their own VR content and services.

I discovered you can have the best game or service in the world and not get any attention. Most companies involved in virtual reality today are working really hard researching and developing content (good thing).

Many don’t have the resources or capability to market their product successfully in an ever-changing fast-growing industry.

Macro Focus in Virtual Reality

Here’s the reality of the virtuality. Like the end means of a windmill is to produce energy, to power whichever electronics and gadgets you’d like. VR’s macro vision is to ultimately replace the user’s reality with a simulated reality under conscious control. Step back a bit and think about what this actually means.

Imagine if a bunch of chimps create a device to completely change what they see when they open their eyes.

What?!

I know right.

To me, this signals me to a completely different new era of humanity. An era that isn’t about war, drought, or disease. This is about humanity impregnating the universe with mind, which is really whatever it think of.

I believe virtual reality is about humans examining the world and saying no, stop it reality. We are sick of your random crap and we are going to bring it under our control. We are going to finally make reality intelligent for once.

So…what is virtual reality going to look like 10–15 years in the future?

Nobody knows. But, I have some guesses.

VR is going to Render Physical Location Irrelevant.

We could talk all day about VR’s impact on healthcare, gaming, and a thousand other industries. What is the most significant factor in all these cases?

For most of human history the idea of physical proximity and attentional proximity were seen as one and the same. Where you are is what you pay attention to.

“We’re post-geographical beings, attentional proximity has been decoupled from physical proximity, collapsing geography.” — Jason Silva

These technologies are slowly transforming what it means to be a human. Your mind no longer has to be engaging where you physically are at.

In the future, we’re not going to watch movies on a piece of plastic and glass that emits different colored lights in a theater. We are going to be connecting our minds and entering a new world where we don’t watch the characters fight dragons. We will be the characters fighting dragons.

The VR industry in 2017 is now more open than ever. Don’t like the direction of the industry? Hop in and change it! Your only limits are your imagination.

Conclusion

Check back on this page frequently for updates and additions.

We’ve seen a tremendous amount of disruptive change coming from the Virtual Reality Industry. It is surely certain that this kind of content will accelerate based on trends in the future.

You most likely have some other VR ideas that can change the world! Share them with us on social media!

Originally published at www.vudream.com on October 9, 2017.