Technology Reporter Uses Virtual Reality to Recover from Chemotherapy, Joins a VR Studio Afterward

Why I Joined A VR Studio

Here's a moving Medium post by Drew Olanoff, a well-known and much loved technology writer who was wracked by cancer last year, was undergoing a painful, lonely chemotherapy regimen, when...

While chatting with someone very special to me on Facebook Messenger, I had a simple ask when we talked about how I felt. “Get me out of this fucking hospital room.” The response was a gift. A Gear VR and a Samsung Note 4. Virtual reality, not a new medium to me, or anyone else, had me hooked. I had the context. I had the problem that needed solving. Immediately, I took a calming stroll on Eden River...

I. Was. Not. In. My. Hospital. Room.

I know I've evinced a lot of skepticism over virtual reality hype in recent months, partly because it still seems like a niche. But I'm also convinced Drew's story expresses a very valid and important use case:

For people physically confined to a single place, either due to health issues, old age, or temporary impairment (i.e. flying on an airplane), virtual reality will almost certainly be an important, transformative technology.

Hat tip: Jamillah Knowles.

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Comments

[Shockwave Yareach]

Finally! Someone who grasps the techs ability to bypass little problems like distance and physical laws. Want to get people in wheelchairs to run a race around the coliseum in Rome? Not a problem. Want to have a virtual economy where disabled folks can work and be able to support themselves like anyone else? We used to have such a thing, yes...