“Virtual Reality immerses the viewer in a story environment from an embodied perspective. Although the current market is driven by entertainment and gaming, early practitioners such as USC’s Nonny de la Pena and filmmaker Chris Milk of VRSE are exploring journalistic and documentary applications, and are discovering that the storytelling power of VR may lie in its potential as a tool of empathy. Our experiment in VR explores its use in reporting on race and social justice — subjects that are rife with tension and divisiveness.
Neuroscientists have been exploring the use of VR in terms of empathy and embodiment in light of new understandings of what is called the mirror neuron system. These brain cells trigger when a primate carries out an action but also activate when it watches another primate doing the same act, making a virtual simulation in the brain – an essential skill for social interaction and learning. Some neuroscientists believe this process gives virtual reality its power to create empathy and to build connections across divides of race, gender, age and class.”
Read the whole article at mediashift.org