How did this VR thing happen?

 When my son was growing up, he and my husband had XBoxes, playstations, etc. They were big gamers– huge gamers, actually. They played City of Heroes, World of Warcraft, Halo, you name it. I always laughed at them, not understanding their obsession with gaming.

Well, let me tell you, with VR, it’s a whole new world! I am, at 64, an obsessed gamer! I never ever thought I’d get to this point. Never. Truly.

It all started innocently enough, with the purchase of the headset to facilitate riding my exercise bike. Then, one day, I thought, “you know I paid all this money for this headset, I should try other stuff!”  That led to Supernatural, Beat Saber, Walkabout Miniature Golf, Puzzling Places, and eventually, Real VR Fishing. 

Real VR Fishing was the straw that broke the camel’s back! I met a lot of people. Many of them played lots of other games. They asked me what else I played and I just shrugged and mentioned VZFit and moved on. Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me though!

I finally really started using Walkabout and Puzzling Places! I met people and played together with them, and had so much fun!

As time went on, I formed friendships with people in games, and I learned to play more and more games. I’m now definitely a gamer, and I play games like Dungeons of Eternity and Guardians Frontline almost daily! I still fish, I still play miniature golf (and a real golf game called Golf+) but my heart really belongs in the battling games, fighting zombies and alien bugs. I’m shaking my head and laughing as I type this, because it’s just so out of character for this quilting grandma to be playing these kinds of games and delighting in them! One of the people I play with is literally young enough to be my son and has spent countless hours teaching me. I think my superpower is respawning, and I need a shirt that says “Keep Moving” and “Behind you”.  There’s always a bug or a zombie lurking around every corner, I tell you! It’s a tough decision on whether to fight the one behind you or the one around the corner. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Moving forward, I think I’ll probably dig into some of the games I’ve been playing, because there’s so much I’d love to share and so much I’ve learned. I mean, I am even a Map Creator in Guardians! For reals!

Have a wonderful day and remember that there’s really nothing you can’t do if you’re willing to put in the time and energy to learn. #nevertooold

VR Gaming, VZFit, where it all began

 It all started quite innocently. I was on Facebook and had scrolled past an ad for a virtual reality game called VZFit. I had no idea that virtual reality was readily available and never dreamed I'd own a VR headset. I kept seeing the ad, and I kept scrolling past. At that point, I was riding my exercise bike about 30 minutes a day and I was getting reallllly bored!

One day, I finally clicked on that ad. The rest is history. I immediately ordered myself an Oculus Quest 2, and the rest is history. For almost a year, VZFit was the only app I used. I bought an app c but I couldn't get the hang of it, so it just sat. I LOVED VZFit! With VZFit, I rode many, many miles, all over the world. The app takes pictures from Google Earth and stitches them together in some magical way that makes it so that you are IN that place, riding your bike! You can apparently use it while walking, but I've always ridden my bike, so I can't talk to the walking. Biking is so important to me, for my health, and this app has made it so easy to stay engaged.

Smitten, hooked, over my head, can't stop. That's how I describe my VR journey. It's been a wild ride, literally! VZFit is still the cornerstone of my VR life, and where it all started. I've even invested in the company, that's how much I believe in their product! I became friends with several people in the VZFit community, and we all follow each other on Strava. I love it! It added accountability and more. I really never dreamed that 3 years later, I'd still be using my bike, even more, and still be loving VR! Who knew?!