Play a VR Game

For clueless people like me, here's a little hint: VR stands for virtual reality. A VR game is a game that applies a three-dimensional artificial environment and allows the player to interact with that environment. Imagine watching a movie and being able to step into the screen and become one of the characters in it.

Last week, my partner and I went to VR Lab in Subang. Not that we planned to. We happened to be in the neighborhood when it was raining very heavily, and we didn't know where else to go or what to do. So we popped in without a reservation.

We felt a bit awkward at first, worried about what the reception guy might be thinking of us, because we were not, you know, 'gamers'. We certainly didn't look the part. The only computer game I ever played was Neopets. And then it was Diner Dash and Candy Crush all the way. But the guy was cool about it. He patiently explained all we needed to know about playing a VR game and demonstrated how to use the controllers, what the buttons were for, etc.

The rate was RM18 per person per hour for a single headset. If we wanted to have two headsets and play multi-player games, it would cost RM50 per person per hour. Different rates apply for weekdays. We didn't know if we would actually enjoy it, so we chose the cheapest option.

He gave us a room at the end of the hallway to give us some privacy. It was a square room with a headset in the middle, a couch at one end and a TV screen mounted on the wall so that people who were not playing could sit down and watch.

He asked me to try a game. There were many choices--from war battles to racing games to zombies. I wasn't ready to be eaten by zombies just yet so he started me off with what he said to be easy enough for a beginner but still quite scary. It was a skiing game where I had to swing my arms as if I was really skiing and lean my body to the left and right to avoid obstacles. He was right. It really felt as though I was there on the slopes. I screamed and closed my eyes when there was suddenly a steep drop and my feet were no longer on the ground. The vertigo was real.

Then it was my partner's turn to have a go at it. At first, she whined because it gave her a headache. But not long after that, she got hooked to Fruit Ninja, which was probably the noobiest game in their system 😜. I liked it too, but wasn't as good as her. My favorite was the boxing game. It was such an intense workout that I had to pause the game several times to catch my breath. I took it very seriously because my opponent was very annoying and it was a man. And men who hit women should be taught a lesson. I think I almost damaged the controllers.

We had so much fun we didn't notice that one hour had passed. It reminded us a lot of Ready Player One. Neither of us was a fan of sci-fi, but a friend of mine lent me the book, and I didn't want to be rude so I read it, and damn, it was awesome! You don't need to be a sci-fi nerd to enjoy it. I then passed the book to my partner who also liked it so much that we actually looked forward for the movie to come out. That was perhaps the first time in my life that I willingly watched a sci-fi/gaming movie at the cinema, and it didn't disappoint. I don't think I could ever survive in that world though, being the lousy gamer that I am. But I imagine it would be really dope to experience the virtual reality in a full-body haptic suit.