In the past months, there has been an increasingly popular new piece of tech called the Oculus Rift. I found out about this when one of my favorite YouTubers; Joey Graceffa, bought one. He was immediately immersed into a whole new world as soon as he put on the headset. It provides 3-D experiences from movies and television to anything the designers can dream up. Having never seen this before, I was astounded that something could look and feel so real. What I wanted to know was how this would change the world.

The Oculus Rift has a bright future, and has impacted students’ education. Motivation and engagement are key factors of game-based learning, and virtual reality takes those up a notch. The playing field is leveled – a player’s gender, weight, and race don’t interfere with their acceptance by other players. You are just judged by your actions. Isn’t that what educators and parents try so hard to get across?

Currently, the closest that most of us have come to face-to-face communication in the virtual world is via video – calling services such as Skype or Facetime. Oculus Rift, however, promises to make interacting with our peers feel as realistic as if we were there in the flesh. This could completely revolutionize the lives of disabled people who are restrained to their homes, or people who have been in the hospital for months. Individuals who have never been able to experience the simple things in life, such as taking a bike ride, can with the Oculus Rift.

Social media is about to take even more of your time. Have you had to fight the urge to check your Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat on a bathroom run today? You haven’t seen anything yet. They are working to transform the social network into a world that you can literally live inside of.  Rest in peace, productivity.