The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Virtual Haunted Houses

    Virtual+Haunted+Houses

    When their sight and hearing are replaced with something that isn’t their own, some people may be uneasy from the start, like myself. Others find it fascinating and addicting, and enter the world of Virtual Reality simulations without a glance behind.

    But, in one simulation, even the most skilled Virtual Reality gamer may find themselves uncertain.

    The concept is fairly simple. Put on a headset, a pair of headphones, sit back, and relax. After you do this, however, you are suddenly dropped into a dark Victorian-era house on a stormy night.

    In reality, you know that you are in a safe, quiet room, sitting in a chair with a pair of headphones in, but that’s not what your eyes and ears are telling you.

    All you hear is the wind, thunder, and your heartbeat. What you can see is limited by the guttering candle you hold in your shaking hand, and any time the candlelight falters, you strain to see what is ahead of you, only to shrink back in terror.

    Eventually you take off the headset, returning to reality. This is one of the experiences offered by Samsung’s 837 showroom in New York City. It’s a very basic horror game, one you wouldn’t usually be too scared by when playing it on a computer screen, but once immersed inside of it, it’s a whole different story. I imagine that soon enough, there will be no need for physical Haunted Houses, as Virtual Reality is still a concept that is in its beginning stages of popularity.

     

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