Virtual reality redux

This is a follow-up on my virtual reality post from a few weeks ago. VR remains in the news, with articles about different applications of the technology that could drastically change consumer experiences.

The National Basketball Association and National Hockey League are both experimenting with VR. In fact, the NBA has already tested a VR live stream at a game, which enabled the owner of the Golden State Warriors (above) to have a first-hand experience.

Imagine if you could have an infinite seat on the front row of your favorite team’s games. You could look around and follow the ball just like you were there – except you could be sitting in your sofa 3,000 miles away. It could redefine what it means to be a fan and could even change how sports are consumed and played. (If you can have the best seat in the house at home, why go to a game in person? And if there’s no need to go to a game, why would teams travel from city to city to play those games?)

And secondly, an article on how VR could change movies and the arts. As one director says, “The stories I would like to make [using VR], I don’t even know what they are yet.” A good movie creates empathy…but what if you could actually live the movie through the eyes of a character? That could be cool…but also could risk empathy overload and all kinds of ethical dilemmas.

It’s all very exciting and very complicated to think about.