Your recent feature about virtual reality in education (¡°Another dimension¡±, 5 January) doesn¡¯t quite bring out what might be the most impactful characteristic of VR.

Surely the point is that as far as the unconscious mind is concerned: receiving impressions through some of the same senses as direct experience will, via VR, have very nearly as much mental impact as ¡°the real thing¡±.

So the opportunity for people, particularly those in their late teens, to experience the effects of especially risky events (and perhaps inspirational ones, too) could have life-changing, and potentially even life-saving, consequences.

For example: allowing people to ¡°experience¡±, with physical security, the simulated consequences of drink-driving or gang violence would, I believe, have a more visceral and persistent effect than merely watching a much less immersive TV screen or computer monitor.

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With suitable precautions, a range of such VR-delivered experiences could fill a life-skill gap as yet unmet.

Paul G. Ellis
Business school tutor and academic copy-editor
London and Chichester

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