Response to VR

The biggest “wow” moment for me was in the video “Syrians Trapped by War” when Mashallah was telling her story of her experiences with the war and her emotions at the time. Her story alone would have been compelling and probably still would have been my “wow” moment but seeing it in VR only amplified my experience and made it all the more moving. Being able to get a good sense of the world that she lives in and imagining how different her setting and home would have been if not for the war was really moving. I think that VR is the best way to see these stories about refugees because no one can know how it feels to be in their shoes unless they are in the same situation. No one that’s not a refugee could ever comprehend having to pick up everything and leave their home but VR allows you to come as close as possible to putting you in their shoes. By being able to turn around and visualize more of the world refugees live in, the viewer can get a full sense of the weight of their stories because they can see the sadness, and the struggle, and the perseverance of everyone in the area and not just the speaker.