Virtual reality may be next art form

For anyone who has never gotten the chance to experience virtual reality, it’s almost beyond description. I, of course, can try to tell you what it feels like, but by nature it’s something that needs to be used first-hand for the full effect. With high-end options, it’s like jacking into the Matrix. It’s the logical conclusion of art.

I grant that’s a bold claim for a political science major to make, but the purpose of art is to communicate an idea. VR can do that better than any other medium could ever hope to achieve.

There are already apps available for iOS and Android that will put someone directly into a situation, show a picture, or take virtual tours. And these opportunities require only a $15 setup and the nearly ubiquitous smartphone.

I might sound like a futurist, but the possibilities are endless. While practical uses for training difficult fields and communications have been discussed, the medium is currently being championed by the video game industry. Many people will first think of “Call of Duty” and “Candy Crush,” but video games have come a long way as an means of artistic expression.

Companies like TellTale Games have pushed decision making to an extreme that can trigger powerful emotional responses, but that isn’t the exciting part. For years now, small companies like That Game Company and Giant Sparrow have made very cerebral interactive story experiences like “Journey” and “The Unfinished Swan.”

Virtual reality could extend into experiencing a day in the life of a refugee or an international aid worker. Shoemaker TOM’s already has a program to allow the user to experience giving shoes away for charity in the third world.

As a cinephile, I have no doubts that literature, painting and traditional film aren’t going away soon. “Star Wars VII” was shot on traditional tape, if a film that expensive and complex was shot the old fashioned way, I’d say that shows that things aren’t changing their ways too fast. But where can art go now?

The last advancement that could possibly enter the VR scene is to directly stimulate the human nervous system through precise electric shocks, but if that’s possible, then society is simply furthering its way of immersing itself into the Matrix.

VR isn’t going to take over anytime soon. Sure, a low-level experience can be had for less than $20, but a high-end experience like the Oculus Rift costs $600. That isn’t counting the powerful PC needed to use it.

Computers used to be unfathomably expensive, color televisions were a luxury, refrigerators weren’t practical and now good VR is a combination of the three. If the rapid progress of smartphones in both power and affordability is any indication, it might not even take long.

Virtual reality brings people to the logical conclusion of both entertainment and art. There’s even a chance of practical applications to cement its importance. Now it’s time to get really, really good at it.