Good News: VR Will Soon Be as Accessible as Smart Phones (Bad News: Experts Are Worried We Will Become Utter Addicts)

Virtual reality is no longer some unattainable thing of the future; now, you can literally buy full-immersion kits for less than $1,000.

The growing accessibility of VR mirrors the surge of smartphones in the late 2000s, according to the ABC. Some experts, however, are urging consumers to proceed with caution because its addictive qualities and long-term effects remain unknown.

“We [the general public] will buy VR devices in shopping malls the way we buy smartphones today,” said Microsoft multimedia and interaction researcher Mar Gonzalez Franco. “I think it will be adopted pretty fast.”

Look, if the explosion of VR will be anything similar to smartphones then addiction seems like a definite possibility. (There’s even a scientific test to see if you’re addicted to your phone.)

Franco predicted future VR units could provide experiences similar to powerful hallucinations, especially when they start including other senses, such as touch. Some people report feeling deflated about the real world when they take off their headsets.

Federation University Australia clinical psychology senior lecturer Vasileios Stavropoulos told the ABC internet gaming disorders appear to be increasing worldwide. He warns the advancement of VR technology definitely has an addictive potential, and we should err on the side of caution.

There’s this thing called compensatory internet use, which—in layman’s terms—is the idea that people who aren’t fulfilled here in this world tend to escape in another world. Some experts are concerned we’ll become too invested in this kind of escapism.

Considering the fact that most Aussie millennials are downright anxious and concerned about the future, maybe we would prefer virtual worlds…

Another potentially worrisome factor is the fact there’s currently no studies published on the long-term health effects of using VR.

Welp.

Photo: Giphy and iStock