Home Gaming Virtual Reality will take off because “gamers are bored”

Virtual Reality will take off because “gamers are bored”

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VR

I’m pretty excited for Virtual Reality. While I don’t have the cash to splurge on an Oculus Rift or a Vive and the necessary upgrade, Sony’s PlayStation VR is becoming pretty tempting. While the technology has its naysayers and agents of doom, when VR is done right, it can be a transcendental experience, especially in the case of horror games.

More than just a new way of looking at games, good Virtual Reality tricks your brain in unexpected ways – and you’ll often find people doing things like trying to lean on digital tables that aren’t really there (and falling over as a result), or trying to stick their heads out of imaginary windows and generally just looking silly.

It’s a hard sell though. Not only does a potential consumer need to play a VR game to get the fuss, but they need to play the right one. Couple that with manufacturing issues and shipping delays and it’s easy to understand why fiscal expectations for Virtual Reality’s performance this year and next aren’t quite as high as they were.

Still people will buy in to VR, says Jesse Schell, game designer and Professor of the Practice of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University. Why?

Because right now, gamers are bored.

“We haven’t had anything really new and exciting happen in gaming in, like, five years. Gamers are ready for something new. They’re hungry for it and they’re ready to spend on something new.

He also says that “…this feeling of presence is a thing that most people haven’t experienced. It’s going to be the thing that everybody is talking about. We’re going to see a slow expansion out into the world… but people are going to be so viral about it, because when people have a good VR experience it’s like they get religion. They can’t stop talking about it.”

While I do think that very many gamers are bored with the state of things (there seems to be, understandably, a large AAA focus on safe properties like sequels and open worlds) I’m not entirely certain they’re bored enough to throw down thousands just for new experiences.

Last Updated: April 25, 2016

86 Comments

  1. Ottokie

    April 25, 2016 at 08:34

    “gamers are bored” then the majority of them should stop playing MOBA’s 😛

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

      April 25, 2016 at 08:40

      Mobas, COD, Destiny, Division, they’re all hamster wheel games.

      Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      April 25, 2016 at 08:40

      *The Division. *run*

      Reply

      • Ottokie

        April 25, 2016 at 08:41

        When last did you even see me open that silly game 😛

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          April 25, 2016 at 08:43

          😀

          Well if you’d been playing Warframe when you were supposed to you would also have gotten a Nikana P blade. ;P

          Reply

          • Ottokie

            April 25, 2016 at 08:44

            All my gaming time is getting sucked up by *shudder* by social life. Suddenly everyone is visiting from every part of the country. I want my damn seclusion and game time back.

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:45

            social life….. is that like FaceBook?

          • Ottokie

            April 25, 2016 at 08:45

            Facebook is the sin spawn of Social Life

          • Ottokie

            April 25, 2016 at 08:45

            Disregard all the spelling and grammar…oops

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            April 25, 2016 at 08:46

            lol – I know that feeling. I spent most of Sat with a couple of really dodgy “people”.

          • Ottokie

            April 25, 2016 at 08:47

            I had time to do the Gift of the Lotus at least on Saterday

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            April 25, 2016 at 08:55

            More catalysts are always needed.

          • Captain JJ vs ..............

            April 25, 2016 at 09:25

            My wife and I went out the weekend, to a wedding. We realised that we’re not good with that many people anymore, they’re different to NPCs.

          • Deceased

            April 25, 2016 at 13:06

            lol XD

  2. Pariah

    April 25, 2016 at 08:41

    Gamers are bored because everyone under 25 has the attention span of a gnat. It’s the digital age we live in, where attention is cheap and fleeting, and the fact that every day new games are released doesn’t help that at all. There’s always something else to distract the gnats.

    Contrary to Ottokie’s joke (which was effing funny btw, LOL) – MOBA’s hold people’s attention for a long time – probably the least boredom-inducing genre today. That and RPG’s still seem to hold peoples’ attention for many many hours at a time.

    VR, sure. People want to try it. But that’s how we are with everything. If it’s new, we want to try it. That’s not just a gamer or VR thing.

    Well, maybe not corporates – they don’t like new.

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      April 25, 2016 at 08:44

      Corporates are the ones punting & hyping VR because they’ve spent billions developing it. It’s 3D TVs all over again. It might be cool, but most people… just… don’t… care.

      Reply

      • Pariah

        April 25, 2016 at 08:45

        I’m curious, but that’s as far as it extends. I’ll care when they create the NerveGear.

        Reply

      • GooseZA

        April 25, 2016 at 10:30

        Yup, couldn’t care less.

        Reply

  3. Alien Emperor Trevor

    April 25, 2016 at 08:42

    How bored does this guy think I am that I’m going to drop R20k on hardware for VR? I’m not that bored or that crazy.

    Reply

    • Pariah

      April 25, 2016 at 08:42

      Apparently bored means stupid. 🙂

      Reply

    • HvR

      April 25, 2016 at 09:32

      Even if I was that bored I’m definitely not that rich,

      Reply

  4. Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

    April 25, 2016 at 08:47

    “We haven’t had anything really new and exciting happen in gaming in, like, five years” What about new consoles, Destiny, Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Bloodborne… I thought those were pretty exciting…. Or maybe he’s just into PC gaming in which case I understand fully 😛

    Reply

    • Ottokie

      April 25, 2016 at 08:48

      …wow

      Them be fighting words

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        April 25, 2016 at 08:50

        Hehe, well it is Monday.

        Reply

        • Ottokie

          April 25, 2016 at 08:51

          You can be lucky I like Ratchet and Clank on console so much xD

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:55

            Yes, next try Bloodborne and then TLOU. Welcome to proper gaming. MUHAHAHAHA

          • Ottokie

            April 25, 2016 at 08:56

            Single Player story games and platformer games, is what it was bought for…

            Also 90% for Final Fantasy

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:57

            Dude, Still busy with FFX remaster. Celestial weapons and Dark Aeons are next on my list

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:58

            *Fixed, Leave me alone before I threaten to leave but come back anyways

          • Pariah

            April 25, 2016 at 08:59

            LOL

          • Ottokie

            April 25, 2016 at 08:58

            I am super jelly about you playing the HD version xD

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 09:00

            Its on the PS store, FFX and FFX-2 in one cheap bundle

          • Ottokie

            April 25, 2016 at 09:05

            I know, but I have already bought a copy for my PS 2 and PS3. And HD version on PS3, need to draw the line somewhere xD

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 09:06

            Only played it once on PS2 waaaaaaaaaaaay back. The nostalgia is strong

          • Ottokie

            April 25, 2016 at 09:07

            And yet I will cave and buy it if I see you playing it a lot 😛

            Never finished getting all Celestial Weapons and capturing all creatures.

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 09:57

            finishing the blitz league

          • Kromas untamed

            April 25, 2016 at 08:57

            Bloodborne is meh. TLOU is the only console exclusive ever to get my full attention.

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:58

            Bloodborne > DS. But I’m still gonna play the third one so I might be wrong

          • Kromas untamed

            April 25, 2016 at 08:59

            DS is meh. Story > everything else.

            Thus pretty much everything with half a decent story > DS/Bloodborne.

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            April 25, 2016 at 09:02

            I’m not a fan of the whole “Let me tell you the vague whispers of what a faintly lit story should be” dialogue option in Bloodborne…

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 09:04

            I don’t care as much about the story as I should, although it would create a more engrossing experience. I just enjoy the sheer terror and horror of the game

          • Pariah

            April 25, 2016 at 09:05

            By that logic you could just have a picture of Darryn in his “onesie” on your desk and be satisfied.

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 09:06

            LOL! Sies

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            April 25, 2016 at 09:07

            Gawd, those monster designs are some of the best I’ve seen, ever, “Hey look, that innocent civilian is walking around with what seems to be a massive headache, why’s he crying like that, Oh Gawd, it’s because the snakes trapped in his head just escaped, he should’ve had a Panado…”

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 09:58

            The snake balls were the worst for me

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            April 25, 2016 at 10:11

            The funny thing is, I’ve been wandering around in the game like some ant looking for a grain of sugar and eventually got past the one part I was stuck at, to finish off the Shadow of Yharnam, all three of them in a manner of minutes, yet, I went around the corner to the next area and got killed by some unnamed monster wearing a fly’s eyes for a hat…

          • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

            April 25, 2016 at 09:00

            Thing is, I find myself coming back to Bloodborne, having given myself enough time to calm down which is around 3-4 weeks between putting the disc into my PS4, continuing from where I left off and dying ninety one hundred times, but with TLOU, I’ve seen Indies that tell similarly emotional stories…

    • Pariah

      April 25, 2016 at 08:48

      Only 2 of those games didn’t come out on PC. Also PC GAMEZ AER TEH BEZXT!!!!!!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        April 25, 2016 at 08:49

        Exactly, and the two that did were sequels.

        Reply

        • Pariah

          April 25, 2016 at 08:51

          Sequels that were BETTER than their predecessors. More than can be said for console, where sequels go to die*.

          *I have no proof of this, but I’m a gamer and my opinion is fact.

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:53

            Hahaha I respect your opinion then

          • Pariah

            April 25, 2016 at 08:54

            Wait, what? What is this, “respect” thing? Is that a console gamer thing? No, can’t be. CoD is big on console. Hmmm.

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:56

            It’s obvious, I must not be playing COD then. XD

          • Pariah

            April 25, 2016 at 08:58

            How did I miss that? XD

            Oddly, something else I imagine CoD players saying a lot. “Autoaim can’t help you stop being bad. So just stop, mmmk?”

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      April 25, 2016 at 08:50

      Well he’s probably not excited because he played Destiny, Fallout 4 & Bloodborne on console. 😀

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        April 25, 2016 at 08:51

        Is that why PC is getting to VR helmets and console one? Because people are more bored on console.

        Reply

        • Pariah

          April 25, 2016 at 08:52

          *two

          At least PC gamers can spell. 😀

          Reply

          • Kromas untamed

            April 25, 2016 at 08:52

            Was about to say the same thing. 🙂

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:54

            Aaah yes, my point is valid so let’s correct his grammar instead.
            *Wish the phone would stop ringing

          • Pariah

            April 25, 2016 at 08:55

            Pffff, yeah. Standard gamer tactics dude, where have you been?

            Also, *I wish…

            *RUNS

          • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

            April 25, 2016 at 08:59

            Hahaha

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          April 25, 2016 at 08:57

          Exactly! Maybe.

          Reply

    • BakedBagel

      April 25, 2016 at 09:00

      Are you an expert level salt extractor?

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        April 25, 2016 at 09:03

        I’d extract pepper but that would make people sneeze 😛

        Reply

    • Ir0nseraph

      April 25, 2016 at 09:17

      XD.
      Good weekend I take it 😛

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

        April 25, 2016 at 09:57

        Slept through most of it

        Reply

    • GooseZA

      April 25, 2016 at 10:30

      OH SNAP!

      Reply

  5. Kromas untamed

    April 25, 2016 at 08:55

    I am bored of open world. It does not mean I am bored with gaming. I still play the occasional Battlefront and enjoy my replays of Mass Effect. Then there is the division. That game is terrible but I can’t stop playing it. It is like an ex who still calls you for some netflix and chill. You know you shouldn’t and that she is bad for you but you still do anyways.

    Reply

    • Pariah

      April 25, 2016 at 08:56

      Usually only if the nookie is good though.

      Reply

    • GooseZA

      April 25, 2016 at 10:31

      *points to Dark Souls 3

      Problem solved.

      Reply

      • Kromas untamed

        April 25, 2016 at 12:08

        Actually I find the DS sub genre to be as entertaining as The Voice. The reward for dying 99 billion times is sub par. I would rather go back to full HC mode raiding in wow.

        Reply

  6. Nadezhda

    April 25, 2016 at 08:57

  7. Captain JJ vs ..............

    April 25, 2016 at 09:13

    Hilarious.
    Yea, we’re totally bored. That’s why we come to websites like this each day and play games nearly each night. I definitely do that because I’m bored of it.

    Reply

    • Pariah

      April 25, 2016 at 09:14

      No way dude!!!!!!

      Reply

    • Ottokie

      April 25, 2016 at 09:15

    • Kromas untamed

      April 25, 2016 at 09:17

      Actually I only visit these websites when I have a few minutes spare at work during the day. (Nothing else to do while waiting for servers to install). When at home I never visit sites cause I am gaming!. 😛

      Reply

      • Captain JJ vs ..............

        April 25, 2016 at 09:20

        Same here. 😀

        Reply

      • Admiral Chief in New York

        April 25, 2016 at 09:28

        ^This

        Reply

        • Kromas untamed

          April 25, 2016 at 09:38

          True gamers don’t have time for reading gaming news when they have the option to game. 🙂

          Reply

  8. HvR

    April 25, 2016 at 09:31

    That video is disappointing, was expecting a total different ending…
    http://i30.tinypic.com/16jftwp.gif

    Reply

  9. HvR

    April 25, 2016 at 09:36

    So we are so bored that we all going to pay through our noses and start playing quickly developed tech demo’s of reworked version of 90’s arcade shooters.

    Reply

  10. Vulcha

    April 25, 2016 at 09:53

    Someone fix the main page blurb please: “Could it perhaps be because YOUR bored of games as they are now?”

    That “your” is really grinding my gears. I expect better from Lazygamer.

    Reply

  11. Dane

    April 25, 2016 at 12:25

    I am not bored. Far from.

    Reply

  12. Raidz19

    April 26, 2016 at 07:00

    I understand the being bored part, but gamers are also too poor to spend money on not yet fully developed tech!
    I actually think what will make us invest in VR is not the fact that we’re bored but because we crave new tech. Technology is changing at such a fast pace that we FOMO is real and having great, new and original technology come to gaming is something we all secretly wanted.
    But year, VR will only take off in a few years. For now we’ll just enjoy all the videos that are popping up like the one above.

    Reply

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