Virtual Reality

Even though it is not real, it is a way that people can escape reality to the virtual community. You get to change your appearance and personality and truly be who you are without being afraid of judgment. Virtual reality is also used to help with the military and healthcare. The main downfall of it though? It is not real.

Virtual reality is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer generated environment which can be explored and interacted with by a person. It has been used in video games, the military, and healthcare. There is also different type of gear and electronics you can buy to help further your experience. It was brought to the public's attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Morton Heilig, but Jaron Lanier coined the term "Virtual Reality" in 1987. Morton Heilig produced the first interactive film experience in 3D.

When it comes to the virtual community it is a way that people use to escape there real lives. You get to create an avatar, a representation of the users' alter ego, and basically choose what you look like. There are a bunch of different hairstyles, hair color, faces, body types, skin color, and clothing styles. Some games will even let you choose what type of personality you would prefer for your avatar. For example, the game "Second Life" you create your own avatar by choosing what you want your appearance to be and then what you want to be. Everyone who plays it is a real person and everything there has been built by people as well. It is a place you can go and chat with others and live your dream. It is a place where you can use self-expression, show your artistic side, and even play if you are a musician. Some other examples of the virtual world would be The Sims, Active Worlds, Kaneva, and IMVU.

Now there is another type of the virtual world which is called an MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Some examples of these games would be Guild Wars, Star Wars: Old Republic, Everquest, and World of Warcraft. I have firsthand experience of playing W.O.W (World of Warcraft). There are two different factions you can choose from which are horde or alliance and they each have different races you can choose from and then after that different classes, whether it be a Mage, Warlock, Hunter, Warrior, Druid, Rogue, or Death Knight. Each has different abilities on what you can do. You can be melee which is hand to hand combat, spell caster which is basically spells, or a healer. You start out at level one and basically complete quests and fight your way through until you hit level 90. There is so many things that you can do that you practically won't be bored. You can play by yourself or with your friends, as well as meet new people. I have formed a few friendships playing that game even though meeting in person is highly unlikely.

"One of the first areas where virtual reality found practical application is in military training and operations." (Baumann, 2012). The main virtual reality is used in there simulators. The simulators are used to train soldiers for dangerous situations or combat to learn how to react in the correct manner. There are a bunch of different simulators such as flight Simulator, vehicle simulator, virtual boot camp, battlefield simulator, and medic training.

The most successful simulators have been vehicle simulators, but the most well-known is flight simulators. They are used to train the pilots to learn how to fly in a battle, recover in an emergency, or how to even work with air support and ground communication. The simulator view is exactly how the pilot would see in the cock pit of an actual aircraft even though it is not exactly the same because they all differ, but it basically gives you the same locations of where everything is. The simulator as well will move and tilt to give the pilot the feeling of actually flying. "For testing and training pilots there is a mock-up of the cock-pit mounted on hydraulic rams controlled by a computer that can create the handling of characteristics of an aeroplane, the weather conditions, and that can mimic in flight system failures." (Dunkley, 1994)

Next, that I will talk about are vehicle and water simulators. Vehicle simulators are the most successful out of all of them. "Simulators use sophisticated computer models to replicate a vehicle's capabilities and limitations within a stationary -- and safe -- computer station." (Strickland, 1998). Learning this is valuable to the FCS (Future Combat System, a foundation for the armed forces future. They form complex training missions that involve multiple participants in different roles. It gives you the feel of being in multiple different types of vehicles and different environments. Navy submarines simulators are quite different other vehicle simulators. Some will not give off the full effect of being in a submarine which can mess with you once you actually are in one. Others will give you the actual give you the feeling of diving under water. It helps with building teamwork and teaches you how to properly handle the ship in the process.

Another one would be virtual boot camp. It is to help anyone who wants to join to practice in a safe environment that you will deal with while you are at basic training. The recruits are able to help soldiers with real life experiences that will be able to keep them safe. In some situations, "Trainers use everything from CAVE systems