Faculty Perspective: Storytelling in Virtual Reality

For centuries, books have taken readers on incredible journeys through imaginary places like Middle Earth and Hogwarts, allowing the reader to imagine what these places might look like. But what will storytelling be like in a digital world? That’s the question John Misak, D.A., assistant professor of English at NYIT College of Arts and Sciences, is investigating. “Many of today’s VR experiences parallel history’s greatest literature, just with an added immersive experience,” he says. With the rise of virtual reality (VR), “books” may take on a whole new form and inspire the next generation of writers, readers, and teachers to rethink the way they approach storytelling.

While some believe technological advances like VR pose a danger to traditional literature, Misak (who wrote about the subject in Computers and Composition) believes that wearable technology serves as a new frontier for learning—one that could improve the education landscape in a big way. “In fact, VR may revive students’ interest in storytelling by allowing them to experience an immersive environment comparable to the way written works transport readers to their environments,” he says.

Misak is not alone in his thinking. According to a survey by market research institute GFK, 84 percent of K–12 teachers think VR can provide something they feel classrooms have been missing for years: student motivation. “Today’s students want to connect with stories personally; it’s often a matter of ‘don’t tell me, show me’,” says Misak, who argues that immersive technology could spark a passion for reading and writing in a generation of digital natives and gamers. He also says the technology provides surprising benefits: “Memory retention for VR is nearly 91 percent versus less than half that for standard lectures.” 

Misak, who incorporates video games in his lessons in addition to VR, has found that VR exercises enable students to develop an understanding of narrative skills that transfers across the curriculum. “Experiencing stories in VR allows them to analyze and evaluate morality, actions and consequences, and relationships. The realistic VR environment also helps illustrate to student writers the importance of detail for sense of place. In turn, their writing composition also becomes immersive, inviting the reader to feel them as if they’re actually there. It’s a total game-changer.”