VR Journalism

VR Journalism

"Experience the 2018 Olympics in Virtual Reality" boasts a CBC article published less than two days ago. For all those die hard Olympic hopefuls that just couldn't make it to PyeongChang in time for the opening ceremonies, have no fear. It's 'unbelievably easy,' as one interviewee quotes, or as others put it, 'the easiest VR app I've used in my entire life.'

Those currently spectating the VR Olympics have the privilege of doing so in real-time. It's live footage. The user reports mention beautiful, breathtaking worlds, all just slightly pixelated versions of the real thing. Terrific open stages where you can get terrifyingly close to the action.

But what will VR bring to journalism, other than having an easily accessible teleportation device in your home? The news is now directly in the centre of your living room. Not the radio, not the tv, but the actual experience. Foreign conflicts, natural disasters, weather; it's interactive, immersive and intimate. It's the futuristic, new way of the news.

                                                      

This feature isn't exclusive to world-class gymnasts or hurdlers, VR can relocate you just about anywhere that exists, and especially places that don't. From the first-person prospective of a video game hero to a mediocre and menial pacing stroll, along any area covered in google maps. VR is all about prospective, and the growing trend seems to indicate that this prospective might become our go-to for gathering information on the world around us.

VR systems already have several apps that mimic video calling software, like FaceTime. What could possibly adapt from this is a streaming service that connects users with up close versions of the prominent people of the world. Face-to-face presidential speeches. 360 scopes of celebrity scandals. Even live band performances, for the musically inclined. There's worlds of possibility.

Virtual reality is seeing the unseen. But it's more than just that. It's moving, climbing, the ability to walk on water or through walls. It's an entirely new angle of something that might already be well known. It's an inside scoop. A new frontier.