The main hurdles that we spend a lot of time thinking about are inspiring mass adoption, creating great content, and continuing the discovery of what Visual Reality (VR) is capable of.
Widening the consumer base is a top priority. VR can (and will) be a revolutionary platform for gaming and entertainment, but we’ve been seeing first-hand just how far the medium can reach. We now have the power to traverse great distances in no time at all and walk a mile in another man’s shoes. VR has the power to transform how people feel about one another.
How can VR continue to reshape journalism and news? How can VR affect education and learning? Every new revolutionary technology, be it the cell phone or the laptop, is pushed to the limits by humanity. How do we use this thing in a way where our lives are greatly improved? VR is no different. 2016 will see the continued push to explore how VR can transform existing modes of communication, bring people closer together, and make our lives more streamlined.
Next, creating great content. I think we’re entering a period of rapid experimentation and exploration. I think over the course of the next year we’ll see a lot more narrative exploration in VR. Storytellers are already retraining their brains to think in 360º, and so many great VR experiences already exist. I believe that great storytellers can tell a great story using anything. As more and more companies and studios invest in VR, we’re going to see some really great narrative experiments. We’re still at the infancy of this new art form. It took cinema decades to invent the close-up. Even longer to invent the match-cut. so on and so forth. As technology grows more widespread and the creation of VR experiences becomes democratized, we’re going to hear from new voices.
By Chris Milk
About Chris Milk Chris Milk is an accomplished visual artist, having created music videos for Kanye West, Arcade Fire, Beck, Jack White, U2, Johnny Cash, Gnarls Barkley, and many more. Known for weaving artistic and technological innovations in pursuit of the new aesthetic, Milk’s acclaimed interactive projects include Wilderness Downtown (with Arcade Fire), The Johnny Cash Project, and The Treachery of Sanctuary. His interactive installation artworks have been showcased at the MoMA, the Tate Modern, and museums the world over. Chris’ most recent contribution to the art and tech frontier is as founder and CEO of the virtual reality companies Vrse and Vrse.works.
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