EMBODIMENT
An embodied experience occurs when a user takes on a first-person perspective in the virtual world and feels as if they are personally having the experience (Shin, 2018). Virtual Reality experiences that are fully immersive make the user feel as though they are actually in the virtual environment and that virtual body parts are their own (Shin, 2017).
Using VR as a way to walk in another person’s shoes and experience their environment, can lead to greater empathy and compassion (Shin, 2018). This empathy not only helps develop emotional intelligence, but allows for a more realistic experience that can change how the user sees themselves in the environment (Shin & Biocca, 2018). The key difference between empathy and embodiment, is that empathy happens in the user’s brain and embodiment “is when users feel the story with their entire body” (Shin & Biocca, 2018, p.2807).
Embodiment can be very useful for motivating people to change their behaviour in the real world (Casale, 2018).
Using VR as a way to walk in another person’s shoes and experience their environment, can lead to greater empathy and compassion (Shin, 2018). This empathy not only helps develop emotional intelligence, but allows for a more realistic experience that can change how the user sees themselves in the environment (Shin & Biocca, 2018). The key difference between empathy and embodiment, is that empathy happens in the user’s brain and embodiment “is when users feel the story with their entire body” (Shin & Biocca, 2018, p.2807).
Embodiment can be very useful for motivating people to change their behaviour in the real world (Casale, 2018).