Last Moments

Experiences like this allow viewers to become totally immersed in thought-provoking, thrilling and extreme experiences without any real element of danger. Because of its sense of realness and first-person point of view, there have been many attempts to use virtual reality to channel intense emotion into empathy and understanding. BeAnotherLab and Simorga, two organizations that create VR experiences to combat prejudice, are based on this notion. Nevertheless, the role of empathy in VR is still being questioned and some disagree that empathy is inherently linked to the medium.

Above all, virtual reality must be recognized as a powerful storytelling tool. The realness and rawness that comes with VR draws viewers in and allows them to temporarily experience something dramatic and, possibly, life-changing. For consumers, the intrigue may come down to sheer curiosity, the thrill of horrific, dramatic experiences, or even an interest in what their instinctual reaction would be in a fight or flight situation.

Brands should not underestimate virtual reality and its place in telling emotional stories. This medium has the potential to go beyond simple entertainment and offer something more profound or more amplified, as these experiences illustrate.