Blog 9- Mia

 

When I think of VR, I associate it with gaming, augmented reality, and often times, fiction. Prior to these sources I thought of it primarily as escapism and adventure-seeking. However, VR used in the contexts of Cloud Over Sidra and Bashir’s Dream altered my perception. I would agree with Milk’s claim that VR is an “empathy machine”. Virtual reality immerses a viewer into the story. It’s one thing to imagine yourself in another’s position from visual, audio, and description, but another thing entirely to place yourself in the scene. In seeing Sidra’s life and surroundings, it humanizes and personalizes the issue–making it feel more local and significant. Viewers see Sidra’s unfiltered daily life–without the frame of a camera lens. A photograph relies on the photographer’s perspective and focus. This can impact how a story is told and what is seen or unseen. With virtual reality, there is less interpretation and more room for truth. In Bashir’s Dream, viewers are encouraged to sympathize with the 14-year-old, disabled refugee who dreams of getting a proper education and playing basketball. While the audio component of storytelling is powerful because of the emotion associated with the human voice, his surroundings were also telling. His living space is cramped and narrow, despite the need for handicap accessibility. Outside there is debris and little developmentally appropriate, and safe grounds for play for children. These conditions evoke empathy from the audience and encourage support. The scenes incorporating Qusai on the basketball courts despite limited mobility show his strength, passion, and perseverance. I believe VR could be a great tool in raising awareness on a broad range of humanitarian and environmental issues allowing them to safely explore topics. In seeing and placing themselves in the story, they may hold a greater concern or significance for the issue. There is great potential in terms of storytelling, giving a whole new meaning to scene and space. VR transports the audience to a new extent–especially fully immersive simulations.