As a person who is a VR enthusiast, there are those who ask me why they should get into VR? Why should they invest in a VR headset? And I figured, I can start a series on this.
For me, I see Virtual Reality as a way to fulfill a lot of things in one’s life for those two hours. Some may call it an escape, but in this day and age where frustrations and stress can easily be a drain on one’s life, for those who want to escape reality, VR is a place where you can be what you want, do what you want and experience a different life than what you have in reality.
Is it a replacement for the real thing? Of course not. But for some people, who are financially strapped, live far from an area where the event is taking place or are not in the mental or healthy position in their life to take part in such things, then VR is the way to go.
The financial benefits of VR, can also lead to diverting money towards other things in your life. May it be towards investing, groceries, travel, etc.
But I must preface that VR fills in certain needs in one’s life for a few hours, but by no means should it replace reality.
Some may want to escape reality to VR, to get away and that’s perfectly fine. But there are a few who prefer to put most of living their life in VR vs. Reality by a lot and that can be a bit dangerous or make your life unfit. So, be careful of that. No matter how life brings you down from time to time, you need to take on those challenges, may it be attending school, going to work and being responsible of paying your bills and taking care of yourself or family.
VR is giving people a new perspective of life, that they couldn’t get from reality. For example, there are those who have never traveled internationally or are not familiar with other cultures, so in a way there are people who have a geographic centric perspective of life because of how they were raised is what they know. Through VR, you will meet people who are from other countries with a different perspective and in essence you learn that the world is much bigger and that not everything is American or British.
So, I’m going to talk about how investing in a VR headset, can save people money in the long run!
- The games are much cheaper on VR than a console game. – You can purchase a great game for under $30, even under $20 that has multiplayer capability. And there are occasional sales that make these games even cheaper as well!
- There is No Cost to Play Online – Another reason to go to VR, there is no monthly subscription (unless you participate in gym-like workouts or certain apps that have live trainers). But you can participate in an online game with family, friends or others.
- Do you want to see a live concert, a live sporting event, live event – The fact is that free VR apps such as Venues and AltSpace VR can allow people to participate in an event with many people without being at a live venue. Venues has live concerts on VR for free, right in the front row, no worries of spending on parking. Granted, I hope Facebook VR can continue those free events, but it’s inevitable that as the VR userbase grows, live events will start charging sometime in the future. But knock on wood, it stays free for the time being.
- Save Money in Playing Sports on VR – As an investor, I like saving money and putting my money towards investments. Instead of going to the driving range or golf course, I can save money by playing “Golf 5 eClub” or “Top Golf” and get my fix of going to a golf course through the game. I’m always surprised how my real life swings can be mimicked on golf, but its not just limited to golf. I can also go bowling on “ForeVR Bowling”, I can play table tennis on “Eleven Table Tennis”, instead of spending money on the batting cage, I can get my fix of hitting balls on “MLB Home Run Derby”. And these are just a few examples. Want to play with friends or other people, you can with these games and communicate. And yes, there are Poker and Blackjack games that you are given a ton of video game money to play games (but this can lead to gambling if you need to by video game currency often, so be careful with that). But for those who are frugal and want to save money, sporting VR games are a cool way to save.
- Save Money Working Out in VR – Before I go on, I have to say that while one can lose weight in VR, you can also work out at home without VR and workout muscles, that you usually can’t focus on VR. If anything, most games are going to work you out on VR because a lot require full body movement and you will sweat! But remember, to do other workouts, walk, run, ride a bike, situps, pushups, etc. With VR, there are games that people can partake in to burn those calories, especially in the evening. May it be “Player 22 by Rezzil”, “Racket: NX”, “The Thrill of the Fight!”, “Beat Saber”, “Synth Riders”, etc. you can get a good workout! And thanks to “Oculus Move”, you can track the amount of calories burned while playing on VR. But combine the VR workout with other non-VR workouts.
- Social Aspect – There are no doubt that the numbers of people on VRChat, AltSpace VR, VTime, etc. is growing. Wanting to go to a comedy club, a club event, movie night on VR, you can do all that. VR is great for people to hang out, socializing and the ability to do it daily, may it be day or night. There are many people who have had lives where you were a social person, had days of hanging out with friends or having fun, but not being able to do that any longer. May it be because of your busy at work, school or family schedule. These social chats give you a chance to break away, meet people you have never met before. And the benefit of this, is that you can do it in the safety in the comfort of your own home. People who are socially awkward, have anxiety or may be self-conscious, are able to use VR to chat with others, which they are unable to do in real life and VR does provide that convenience. The only time it becomes problematic, is when one wants to make VR to their reality. You never know what is fact or fiction on VR, you can chat and meet people, but always be on alert. Sure, there are those who have found love through VR and married in reality. But there are people who escape to VR, a few who created their own online persona, people will say things that may not be fact about themselves or their reality. Unfortunately, parents have bought children VR devices and their are young teens trying to pretend they are adults. And unfortunately, there are a few cringy people who try to prey on these individuals. And you may find those who take the “I can be whatever I want to be, I don’t give a F***” route, but yet, take it too far and can be too offensive. So, there is a dark aspect to VR. And more and more parents, need to be aware of that, because there are way too many kids trying to participate in events that are geared towards adults. But there is a lot of good. Good people who are willing to listen and talk. Last, if you don’t mind your real life combining to your VR life, that’s your decision. But I find some people who become to drawn into VR’s social aspect, it is important to remember, just because a person’s avatar may look attractive and their voice may sound attractive, doesn’t mean they look that way in real life and what they say about themselves is fact.
- You Can Travel to Another Country, Even When You Can’t Right Now – VR gives people a way to travel to distant countries, may it be through “Wander”, “Alcove”, “National Geographic”, etc. By no means does 360 Video or 360 static images replace the ability of experiencing the real thing. But considering how the world is today, these apps can give you the sense of travel. May it be due to financial, health or family, education or work obligations that prevent you from traveling, these apps can make you feel like you have traveled and you can join others online and converse about vacationing or they can take you out in a tour, like an online tour guide. I found apps like “Wander” awesome for me to visit cities in another country that I usually tend to visit prior to the pandemic and to find out if the business is still around.
- Learning through VR – Want to learn about another country’s culture? Want to learn another language? Want to learn certain things such as DJing? Want to attend a meeting about things you are interested in? It will save you money on gas, save you money on software applications. Sure, you can do that with watching YouTube. But if you want that social aspect of talking with other people, VR allows for that. And you will meet other people from different countries.
In a way, if you watched the film “Ready Player One”, there are aspects to that movie that can be applied to your experience in the VR world. And I think that scares some people, because Virtual Reality gives people a chance to escape reality.
There are things going around the world, in your country, in your local city/town and even at home that we should be mindful about, things that affect people’s lives and people should not forget about those things because once you take those VR goggles off, you’re back in reality.
Just remember to take breaks, which is good for your eyes. Get lens covers that protect your eyes from blue light. And hydrate and eat, shower and be responsible.
So, there are financial benefits going VR, as long as you make smart decisions (especially if you gamble) and just remember, just because VR gives you the opportunity to be something else and something different, just don’t become a cringy a-hole.
