VR and Empathy- Hannah S.

 I really appreciated the TED talk from Chris Milk about how VR creates empathy. I came into this with a very limited understanding of the capacity of VR. In my mind, it was for games and fun, but there was also uses like working with veterans who have PTSD. However, I did not realize the true scope of VR and how much it could accomplish. I thought his first project "The Wilderness Downtown" was shocking enough as it inserts where you grew up and takes you back to those roads and to your house. Having technology that can do that alone is mind boggling to me. However, "Clouds Over Sidra" went even farther and is able to place the viewer into someone else’s life, environment, and view. It is amazing to think of how much this could do, like in his example of being able to spread awareness to the people who are in control of the lives of many. 

It is amazing considering I thought movies had gotten good at being able to suck you in and make you feel for the characters. But now, VR is allowing people to be fully in the lives they are learning about. While the development of technology can seem scary and like the robots are taking over, this shows how technology can enhance human experience and allow people to have a greater understanding of others.