Vary Your VR Please
These glowing business reports are, however, tempered by certain considerations. One important factor is that of theme diversification within the VR field. In a 1995 overview of all available VR-LBE experiences available (94 in all), nearly 40% of these games were what the industry calls "shoot-em-ups." The main demographic sector participating in these engage-and-destroy experiences were teenaged and young adult males. If one added the VR games that included sports and military simulations, the percentage of experiences most attractive to this sector rose to forbidding proportions. VR-LBE stood for Very Restricted-Longing But Excluded in the eyes of females, older adults and families. While theme diversification has significantly expanded since the 1995 overview, VR-LBE should constantly keep an eye on content-specific experiences that appeal to a wide range of potential customers. It is encouraging to see that some of the newest and more advanced VR entertainment, such as Iwerks Entertainment's Dino Island, create lifelike, real-time scenarios of adventure that an entire family can readily enjoy.

There is more at stake here than profits. As VR undergoes refinements, lifelike experiences featuring blood, destruction and stupendous ninja cleavage may come under increasing scrutiny. In Indianapolis, Mayor Bart Peterson made national headlines this year by proposing a "violent video game" ordinance that forbade anyone under the age of seventeen to play anything more combative than race car simulations. Games featuring graphic violence and/or sexual content were to be plastered with warning labels and kept a minimum of ten feet away from nonviolent games, and any arcade owner not enforcing this ordinance could face loss of license. On July 11, the City Council passed this ordinance by the unanimous margin of 27-0. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a temporary stay on behalf of the coin-operated industry until an injunction hearing can be held, but the writing may be on the WoW if VR arcades feature too high a proportion of virtual violence or raunchy reality. States more conservative than Indiana (and there are a few) may harass VR-LBE arcades with even more stringent legislation unless the content diversifies considerably.

Virtual World Entertainment's VR-LBE has also secured a market abroad with 4 locations in Japan, 3 in Canada and one in China. © 1999 Virtual World Entertainment, LLC.

VR Without A Shot
In truth, the range of VR-LBE experiences should become all-inclusive and feature scenarios that every average American yearns to experience. I'm talking about making some extravagant, pleasant dreams come true or taking the experiences of one's everyday life and recreating them in a more rewarding manner. And so, with nary a shoot-em-up in sight, here are some proposals for the next great VR-LBE experiences:

Boy Band Interactive: Who has more disposable income than pre-teen girls? This lucrative market can be tapped with Boy Band Interactive, a VR experience guaranteed to keep their excitable heads glued into HMDs. Our participant can choose from a list of the hottest boy bands extant for the immersive experience of a lifetime (or at least that summer). The participant finds herself in the front row of, say, an N'Sync concert where she watches a three-minute performance of one of the band's songs. Following this she is motioned on to the stage by the member she deems to be the cutest. She is taken backstage for another twelve minutes of personalized banalities and platitudes from the band, and the immersive experience ends when a stagehand alerts the boys that it's time for an encore. The band files out and the aforementioned cutest member plants a chaste kiss on the participant's cheek, promising to return in just a moment. Fifteen minutes for fifteen bucks -- no more expensive than purchasing the CD, and twice the fun!