Every time the gaming industry makes a considerable leap up in technology or rendering abilities, we get the standard 'But does it influence the kids to do bad things?' rhetoric. You can bet your bottom dollar that this argument is going to pop up again once little Timmy can physically make stabbing motions with his hands that mimic on-screen murders, but for now, the very reason VR has taken so long to get onto shelves, is down to primarily ensuring that wearing this sort of kit doesn't have any harmful physical effects. It is all pause for thought though, as we literally don't live in a world where virtual reality technology is the norm, thus there aren't any longterm studies available or even underway. In a recent interview with The Guardian, optometry professor Matty Banks noted that, in regards to eye-strain, everything he had seen "suggests it is all short-term and you readjust after you take that headset off I think it would be unwise for us to say there is no problem, whilst fellow academic Sarah Sharples adds that 'effects' aren't necessarily 'problems'; The key point is: there are effects, but are they detrimental? All you need to know going in, is like getting lost in anything from a TV show binge to a movie marathon, gaming session or day of sports, it's up to you to regulate your intake accordingly, even if VR is a much more immediate and potentially gratifying sensory overload. Where do you stand on virtual reality? Too crazy to comprehend, excited, or somewhere in the middle? Let us know in the comments!
