What Can Virtual Reality Do That Books Can't?

Upon watching “Crossing the Line: Untold Stories of Refugees”, I was particularly drawn to the story of two women who had come to America to seek asylum from the rampant gang violence in Mexico; but when night fell at the border, they told by a border agent to go to Mexican immigration that night and come back the next day. After fruitless pleading, they returned to Mexican immigration. The people there called the two women a taxi which, they discovered upon boarding, was affiliated with The Gulf Cartel. That same night the two women were kidnapped. One recalls being held hostage for 18 days. She has been held in an immigration detention for over a year and her case is still pending.

Something I have heard this year more than ever is students claiming they don’t enjoy reading because they can’t form pictures in their heads. That the words aren’t enough. I think virtual reality is a sufficient response to this growing mentality. Especially in “Crossing the Line”, hearing a story directly from the source’s mouth and seeing it illustrated all around you eliminates the need for excess imagination or brain power. It is a somewhat sad ideation, but if someone truly can’t enjoy literature due to the inability to imagine, then virtual reality might be a feasible solution.

Virtual Reality and Relating to the Lives of Others

I feel that the virtual reality immersion was useful in being able to connect with the migrants. We
were able to see their lives as what they would actually experience; the footage was real and not
from a work of fiction.

However, I do believe that while virtual reality can help us better understand the experiences of
others, it will not yield a complete understanding. The glimpses of these people's lives were just
that: glimpses. The actual experience, and the emotional turmoil, can not be expressed through
any form of media. We can see how others feel more clearly with virtual reality, but for me at least,
simply watching was not enough. These people have left their homes behind, and have risked their
lives in doing so. Even if for a moment, we could understand how these people felt, it would not be
a constant factor of our lives, so it is difficult to understand the magnitude of what the migrants are
going through.

I do believe that it was a new way to experience the lives of other, and one that is worthwhile. It
allowed me to see these people, real people, as if I was in the same room as them, which was a
very powerful experience. I did value getting to use the virtual reality sets for its unique ability to
provide perspective differently than a film or novel.