Virtual Reality Kept Me Sane During the Pandemic

Missing My Friends During Corona

The reality of this lockdown and isolation thing hit me hard. I was laid off from my job, and all my hangout plans with my friends were canceled. All for an uncertain amount of time. The first month of isolation was fine. I took it as an opportunity to take some well needed “me” time, which ended up with me mostly just sitting around eating jars of Nutella while catching up on entertainment. But after a month of this, I started to miss my friends. Sure, I could video chat them, but what I was really missing was some physical way of interacting with them. So, since a few of my friends had VR headsets, I bought an Oculus Rift S VR headset!

First Experience in Virtual Reality 

Once I had the VR up and running, my friend invited me to his virtual house and gave me a VR hug. It sounds strange, but I needed that hug. I missed the human interaction. It meant a lot to me. Then I looked at his backyard and saw he had a patio overlooking a beautiful green valley. I walked over, sat down, and just listened to the sounds of digital nature as I took it all in, letting myself get fully immersed in that environment. After not leaving my living space for 60 days, isolation was beginning to drive me crazy, and this was the change I needed. 

I was pulled out of that zen moment when my friend started throwing virtual items at me to get my attention. So I picked them up and started throwing them back. It was at this moment when I forgot about the outside world… The lockdown, the isolation, the dread of not knowing what the future holds during these uncertain times. Instead, I was just there, present with my friend and throwing virtual lamps at him while demolishing his room. This was when I realized how powerful Virtual Reality really is. But there was something I was still afraid of…

Virtual Reality and Health

I used to have a really bad video game addiction, like playing 16 hours a day bad. I was worried I might fall in love with Virtual Reality too much and lose all sense of actual reality. However, that didn’t happen. In fact, the exact opposite happened. VR made me play fewer games. Virtual Reality games can be physically demanding. My VR sessions lasted, on average, about 30 minutes, my longest probably being about 2 hours.

I’ll play some intense games like Beat Saber or Pistol Whip and tire myself out quickly; both are games that require you to move your whole body a lot. VR is surprisingly quite the workout. What’s even more interesting is that I’ve actually lost weight since quarantine started. Virtual Reality was a big part of that. 

As time goes on, more of my friends that didn’t have a VR headset bought one. Virtual Reality has pulled us closer together in a world where it feels like everyone is being pulled apart. 

Is Virtual Reality Worth It?

I went from not believing in VR technology a few years go to now really appreciating it for what it can do. Instead of it becoming an addiction or a way for me to escape from reality, it became an enhancer. When you miss your friends that you aren’t able to hang out with because they are on the other side of the world, or because there is a pandemic going on. Being able to see and interact with them virtually turns into a beautiful thing. So to that, I say yes, VR is worth it. 

If you are thinking about buying a VR, I recommend either the Oculus Rift S if you have a PC that can run VR. Or the Oculus Quest, a fully wireless headset that does not require a PC to work. 

If they are sold out, you might be able to find one for a reasonable price on eBay, that’s how I bought mine.