The Zhejiang Province essay in the national college entrance examination asked you to write about VR. Are you panicking?

The college entrance examination is like the Spring Festival Gala. Although the same old tunes are played every year, new topics are created every year.

With the end of the Chinese language subject on the first day of the college entrance examination, essay topics from various places have once again become a hot topic among netizens. The Zhejiang Province test question that requires writing an argumentative essay on "virtual reality" has attracted widespread attention.

The requirements for the composition topic are as follows: Online shopping, video chatting, and online entertainment have become an indispensable part of the lives of many people today. Industry insiders point out that in the near future, we only need to install VR equipment at home, and we can travel through various virtual scenes without leaving home; sometimes trying on new clothes in the cloakroom of a store, sometimes communicating face to face with a doctor in a clinic, sometimes watching a game on the football field, and sometimes becoming a "live eyewitness" of a news event. When the "virtual" in the virtual world becomes more and more "reality" in the real world, should we choose to embrace this new world, or stay away from it, or keep an appropriate distance from it?

Such questions seem a bit cruel to many candidates who are oblivious to the outside world and focus on studying for the exam. Perhaps in their minds, VR is just something they have heard of occasionally, just like their half-understanding of pelagic organisms. But for some "bad students", VR may be their latest toy, so they will be more comfortable with such questions.

In recent years, this type of topic has often appeared in college entrance examination essays. The author believes that this is a good thing, at least it encourages students to broaden their horizons.

Now, let's get back to the topic, let's talk about the protagonist of the debate, VR (virtual reality). 2016 is called the first year of VR by many people. Everyone's pursuit of it is no less than a rising movie star, so much so that heroes from all walks of life have gathered together and rushed to join the VR industry. The reason is that no one wants to be left behind in this new wave. It's just like the mobile phone industry in 2007, it was a brand new business model, a brand new beginning, and everything has just begun.

What exactly is the VR we hear so much about?

"Virtual reality uses computer simulation to create a three-dimensional virtual world, providing users with simulation of vision and other senses, allowing users to observe things in three dimensions in a timely and unlimited manner as if they were in the scene themselves. When the user moves, the computer can immediately perform complex calculations and transmit accurate three-dimensional world video back to create a sense of presence." This is Wikipedia's explanation of VR. At present, it is easy for people to confuse 3D experience, IMAX experience and VR. Even the Taobao seller of VR boxes gives the answer: This product is a pair of 3D glasses that combines watching movies and playing games, which can turn a mobile phone into an IMAX theater or 3D game room.

In fact, this is not the case. What VR wants to do is to change the way humans interact with the world. The key lies in immersion. The immersion that 3D brings us is too simple to be called true virtual reality.

At present, a large number of VR manufacturers have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and various giants have also announced their participation. Oculus Rift, HTC VIVE, and PS VR are known as the three VR devices with the best experience. In addition to these PC-level VR devices, there are also VR devices such as Samsung GEAR VR, Google VR Cardboard, etc. that are used with smartphones, as well as VR all-in-one machines recently launched by many domestic manufacturers, etc. The price of many devices is often hundreds of dollars, which also means that they are destined to be early products and will not have a greater impact.

In short, VR allows you to experience everything immersively without leaving your home.

How do we date after falling in love with VR?

You may have heard of the threat theory of artificial intelligence, but you have certainly not heard of the threat theory of virtual reality. So, just relax, accept new things and enjoy the happiness and convenience it brings us. In fact, VR has begun to extend its tentacles to all aspects of our daily life.

The interactive method you used to use when playing games in front of a computer monitor may no longer exist. Now you can enter the game and chat with the monsters passing by. In the past, you could only rely on your imagination to choose the house type and decoration style when buying a house. Now you can enter the house and check and arrange the things at will. In the past, when you watched news events, you could only see the selected scenes according to the director's wishes. Now you can walk into the news events and become a "party"; in the past, you always envied those who could shed tears when watching live broadcasts. Now VR is a time tunnel that can instantly bring you to the scene to feel their sadness.

I think we have no reason to reject new things that can bring happiness and convenience to human beings, nor do we have to keep a distance from them. The progress of human society always depends more or less on those who dare to try new things. The era of VR is here, and what you have to do is open the door to welcome it.

What are the eye-catching features of VR that we are seeing now?

As the future evolution trend of games, the development of VR will only grow. According to a report from data analysis agency SuperDataResearch, by the end of 2016, the number of VR product users will reach 389 million, and the VR market size is expected to reach US$5.1 billion. The analysis predicts that Europe will become the number one market for VR products in 2016, with a size of US$1.9 billion. The market size in North America will be US$1.5 billion, followed by the Asian market, which will reach US$1.1 billion. The above regions plus the US$600 million in other parts of the world, the total size of the VR market in 2016 will reach US$5.1 billion.

At a glance, the popularity of the VR industry is constantly adding to these data.

At present, all walks of life are exploring, and filmmakers have begun to think from different angles about how to use VR technology to provide viewers with an immersive feeling, and let fans play with male and female idols, and feel the excitement of mountain racing and forest adventures. In order to achieve these, directors must break the routine and think seriously. Not only movies, many content companies have begun to launch VR live broadcast channels to explore monetization models. According to forecasts, the market size of the VR film and entertainment industry will reach 100 billion US dollars in 2017.

In the medical industry, VR technology can be used to reduce the cost of doctor training. With the in-depth integration of visual simulation technology and pressure feedback technology, many manufacturers have launched products that allow clinicians to enjoy a dual visual and tactile experience when practicing surgical operations. In addition to clinical training, VR technology can also be combined with health management, and doctors can heal patients through scenarios.

If you still don’t understand what I mean after reading this, then go and experience it for yourself. It’s just like choosing a lover. How can you choose to stay together for life without dating?

The new leaves in the fragrant forest urge the old leaves to grow old, the waves in the flowing water give way to the waves behind, and we look forward to VR becoming better.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.