Contextual and Theoretical Studies 3.

CTS 3 as we call this class, is the third, and the last one in a series. In general, it has been dedicated to studying topics related to VR and immersive media but also, to some extent, to researching and drafting short essays. In the past we would mainly have lectures on film, games and VR theories, concepts and philosophies. Towards the end of the academic year, we had to decide on a topic we wanted to explore more. The next steps included research and writing a short academic paper that was then submitted for grading.

This year, as it is our final year of a BA degree in VR, it looks slightly different, and it is focused on writing dissertations. 

Working towards a dissertation requires research, choosing an area of interest, planning, more research, narrowing the field of interest down to a specific topic, making notes, mind maps, more research, writing, reading, and more of all of that.

My area of interest has been, since the beginning of the course, in VR being used beyond the entertainment industry. I was especially interested in VR in healthcare, but not as a training tool but to support patients’ mental health during the painful medical procedures, or in pain in general.

At the end of my first y0ear, when the date of giving birth to my third child was approaching, I decided to focus on and research if VR was or could be used during the early stages of labour. I carried out secondary research and the findings presented were not only surprising but also promising for future development. There were several studies from the UK, Europe and Asia I analysed and wrote a short essay about.

During my second year, I focused my research on the audience of VR and compared the spectatorship in VR to the immersive theatre’s audience. I was also interested in the impact that VR has on the viewers (called very often visitors), not only from the entertaining point of view but also beyond that. 

In my final year, I decided to go back to pain management through VR and dedicate my dissertation to this subject. I want to research more on how VR has been so far implemented in dealing with pain, with what results and prognosis for the future.