Virtual reality is currently used for simulations in gaming, military, education, medical, entertainment and etc. Each simulation is programmed differently depending on how it is used and where it is used. Since simulations are programmed differently from one another, the VR would have to use different applications/programs in order for it to operate. For example, VR is being tested in education to determine if students can work independently without needing any support from the teacher. VR allows the students to interact more in classrooms which may increase the attention span of students which is a better alternative than sitting still in a desk. This idea is still being tested though because of the expense of VR HMD and requiring further data and results.
People would mostly relate VR technology to gaming because of its popularity in the gaming industry. VR in gaming gives players a first person view of the game which gives them the impression that they are part of the game. The Virtual Boy was an attempt by Nintendo to popularize VR, but ended in failure. There exists a couple of VR headsets listed by Lamkin (2016) for gaming like the Oculus Rifts, Sony PlayStation VR, and the HTC live. The difference between each headset is the compatibility of games which affect the gaming markets in terms of which exclusives is superior to others. This opens a competitive market which relies on costs and quality of the games and the cost of the HMD itself. The headsets require a controller in order for players to interact with the 3D environments since the headset displays it.
There are multiple simulations in the military involving VR from flight simulation to combat training. The flight simulation would help pilots in an air force be familiar with the aircraft and the different procedures require for any situation. VR is used to practice driving land based vehicles like a tank and jeeps without wasting resources. Most surprisingly, they have VR for practicing how to use the parachute by “tugging on two cords to steer” while wearing the Oculus Rift, but the solider needed to be suspended first on a ceiling which is safer compare to jumping out of plane to practice parachuting (Parkin, 2015).
VR is used in the medical field to help doctors, nurses, and trainees practice and gain knowledge on procedures, treatments, and finding symptoms for diseases and injuries. It gives them more “hands on” experience with a virtual patient which is important because all that experience will one day save a life if they know what they are doing. Palter (2010) said “Two randomized unblended trials showed that, compared with participants with no training, those trained using virtual-reality tools showed significantly improved learning…” (p. 1194). VR also had potential to help people with mild cognitive impairment and/or Alzheimer’s disease “The technology has the potential to create training tasks with a higher degree of verisimilitude: with VR, training task can be performed an immersive and interactive system resembling real-life experience” (Shuchat, 2012, p. 40).