Entering the Matrix…

For my first article I figured I would introduce myself. My name is Charles Jackson. I’m a 31 year old call center employee working from home. Since I was old enough to watch Sonic the Hedgehog tap his foot impatiently as I kept running off screen as Tails (I was too young to realize I picked up the wrong controller), I’ve been infatuated with technology and all its applications. While I’m still waiting for a sarcastic robot butler, video games and computer technology have advanced to the bleeding edge where science fiction meets…reality. Virtually. Sorry, don’t go anywhere, I promise not to do that again.

My first experience with VR occurred in a Toys’r’Us in 1995. The ill-fated “Virtual Boy” had just hit the market and while I was much more interested in the Sega 32x (another ill-fated system), I remember playing “Virtual Boy Wario Land” as my grandparents patiently ignored my childish demands for tribute. I don’t remember the headaches and nausea that many associate with the system but I do remember being disappointed — the red LED screen definitely added depth in a way I had not seen before, but I had trouble seeing Luke Skywalker or Paul Atreides popping one on between adventures. The dream was still there, and with the rapid pace of progress we saw growing up in the 90s, there was even hope.

Fast forward to Christmas 2015, I was gifted “Ready Player One” for Christmas with…