We are definitely stepping in to a new era in gaming. Enter virtual reality, the next big thing for gamers and other types of users alike. See, VR is not just for gaming but for other applications as well. But since this is an article for gaming, let's put some borderline and talk about games for VR.
One of the coolest games to have ever stepped foot in the world of VR is Fallout 4. The game isn't officially being released yet to VR and it only made its way to work with Oculus Rift by fans but Bethesda is now planning to put all of Fallout 4 in VR and make it officially a VR game. Together with Fallout 4 is Doom. Both are planned to be released on the HTC Vive in 2017, as reported by Game Rant.
Todd Howard talked about their plans for Fallout 4 in VR with Glixel and expressed that they are definitely putting all of the game to virtual reality. He also talked about the potentials of VR for players being in a big virtual reality sandbox, letting them experience Fallout 4 'first-hand' going everywhere you want. Howard then added, "Once we did that, we were like, 'OK, we gotta see where this goes'."
Howard also has implied that sales isn't everything when asked a concern about it, he expresses that "it will sort itself out". According to the interview, their main target would be to make something that is unique and they would rather do that as opposed to just make tiny experiences. Howard closed the topic by saying, "I don't think that's what people want from us."
Why this idea is too good that it might turn bad
First of all, the idea of putting all of Fallout 4 into a VR game is very much to my liking. Imagine doing one more round of adventures in Boston's wasteland, building settlements, battling mutated creatures, dealing with synths who think they're human, and other crazy stuff, who wouldn't want that in VR? Not to mention you can now shoot your way thru enemies via proper gesture and aiming.
The concern comes basically when gameplay time is put on the discussion table. Fallout 4 is a very long game. It runs for about 100 hours, and you just don't play it 2 hours at a time. In my personal experience, even when I planned for a 2-hour session, I ended up with 5 to 6 hours per sitting. The game is just too addicting and immersive that you can't put it down anytime soon. Now when this becomes a VR game, it will be a lot more addictive, I'm worried that my 6 hour sessions would turn to 10.
Being stuck in VR for too long might be bad for you. Of course, there should be studies about this to prove my statement but the fact that playing very long video games on the traditional TV and controller made me somewhat socially awkward, how much worse would it make me if I play it in VR? The point is, if Fallout 4 becomes fully deployed in VR, players will lose touch of reality and socialization, or at least in theory it's true.
