The number of potential use cases for virtual reality technology is nearly limitless. That is primarily because so many different objectives can be achieved with relative ease. For the Red Cross, their latest VR venture will undoubtedly raise some questions. They are using the technology to recreate fear and trauma in an engaging manner.
Red Cross Pursues an Aggressive VR Strategy
Confronting the masses with unpleasant experiences is one of the reasons why virtual reality technology can be quite valuable in the long run. This technology is being used in therapy, rehab sessions, and now also by the Red Cross. The charitable organization wants to create personalized and interactive experiences depicting fear and trauma. Additionally, the VR venture is designed to effectively resonate with the audience and incite behavioral change.
Although most people will feel somewhat uneasy after watching the brief trailer, this new experience serves a specific purposes. The Red Cross has noted people have become less eager to support people in need unless the cause hits close to home. As such, embracing virtual reality technology can play a big role in improving this situation. Teaching empathy to people is not easy by any means, but VR may be the medium to enforce such change.
This particular VR movie is shot in Beirut. It depicts the tragedy following the ongoing war between Lebanon and neighboring countries. Actors partaking in this project come from Syria and Iraq as well, further showing some effort was put into shooting this short movie. Most people in the Western world are unfamiliar with urban conflict, thus they have no idea how vital their support is to such causes.
Whether or not virtual reality will be the catalyst to get people more concerned about such causes, is difficult to predict. It is an interesting take by The Red Cross, although there is no guarantee for success whatsoever. Helping humanity can be done in different ways, and every option needs to be explored in full. Given how “niche” virtual reality still is, it seems unlikely this new venture will make an immediate impact.
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