ABSTRACT
Many have tried to defi ne virtual reality (VR). Defi nitions range from the very broad to the very narrow. An example of a broad defi nition is one defi ning virtual reality as any medium where one feels a sense of “immersion” and “presence” in the environment generated or described. Using this defi nition, an epic poem in a book could be an example. A very narrow defi nition is one defi ning virtual reality as using hardware that has to be worn, coupled with very sophisticated software, to give the user a sense of immersion and presence in a computer-generated, virtual environment. Immersion is defi ned as the cognitive conviction or feeling of presence, of “being there,” surrounded by space and capable of interacting with all available objects (Psotka, Davison, & Bernatchez, n.d.). Presence is relating to a feeling of being there, immersed in the environment, able to interact with other objects there (Psotka, Davison, & Bernatchez, n.d.).
