Before immersing myself into virtual reality of a refugees reality I knew the struggles of a refugee were horrendous. Reading about refugees experiences gave me the quantitative perspective on their situations. Articles about refugees situations tend to highlight the poor water quality, dangerous conditions, E.T.C. While the more informative/intellectual heavy perspective is unique to an article, most of the time articles fail to make the refugees into a person I can empathize with. Articles tend to refer to refugees simply as a refugee or just putting the refugees name to the statistics the article presents, creating an impersonal barrier. The virtual reality experience, for me, did almost the opposite of what an article does. By allowing me to truly see the horrifying conditions the refugees lived in while the refugees went about their day as if nothing was wrong with their environment was mind blowing. The visual aid gave the refugees human characteristics rather than remaining as a statistic. While there was less information about their condition given, being able to see their condition virtually, I believe, supplemented for it. Virtual reality removed the impersonal barrier allowing for a stronger emotional response to the refugees situations and to the refugees themselves.
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