In today’s world, experiences are becoming more and more accessible to us through virtual reality. As virtual reality technology continues to improve, people can emulate a wide range of experiences from walking a dog to hang gliding right from the comfort of their own home. Every day, these experiences become increasingly immersive as researchers push forward in the field of virtual reality, which begs the question: will we come to a point where the lines between virtual reality and reality are blurred? Will virtual reality ever become a substitute for reality?
Recently, a game called Backpacking began beta testing on the popular online gaming platform Roblox. At first it struck me as quite odd that someone would try to create an online game based on the unique experience of backpacking, and as someone who has spent the last several years of my life backpacking, I was naturally intrigued. Upon trying out the game, I discovered that it was very basic and certainly did not rival the magical feeling that one gets from travelling the world with a real backpack. However, all things have basic beginnings. Which got me thinking: could there be a time in the future when virtual reality backpacking becomes so immersive and realistic that people actually choose it instead of the real experience? In this article, I am going to talk about Roblox Backpacking, a possible future of virtual reality backpacking, and whether or not I believe that it could one day become a substitute for actual backpacking.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is a bit like the LEGOs of the modern age. It is an online gaming platform that gives users the building blocks to create their own games which can then be played with other users worldwide. So, you can create a game using the Roblox game creation platform, and then players can play this game online with other players from around the world by finding your game on the Roblox website. I think that Roblox is a wonderful platform, especially for kids and young adults, because it fosters creativity, allowing users to create their own worlds nearly from scratch, and teaches them basic coding literacy in the process. The games are censored to keep mature content out and to keep them kid-friendly. The platform is free, educational, fun, and does not contain malware.
What is Roblox Backpacking?
Roblox Backpacking is a game created on Roblox by a user by the name of Abracadabra, a game development group which has produced three other games. In the game, you can set up a campsite and have a camping event that you can invite other players to, you can roast marshmallows, drive an RV, hang glide, and there are even bears that you have to be wary of. You can chat with other players while roaming around a fairly sizable map that has different types of landscapes such as a volcano and a lake. Players can buy things like fishing poles, tents, new vehicles and more in exchange for marshmallows, the virtual currency of the game (yes, I realize the irony of roasting marshmallows while also using them as currency). While this particular game is very rudimentary with an interface quite similar to that of Minecraft, it is the first game that I am aware of that tries to virtually reproduce the experience of backpacking. Of course, at our current stage of technology, platforms such as Roblox do not come close to rivaling what the experience of real backpacking has to offer. But it is interesting to think about, as innovation in this field continues, will there ever come a point where a virtual backpacking experience might be preferable to some people than actually backpacking.
What might virtual reality backpacking look like in the future?
It is rather difficult to imagine what a virtual reality backpacking game would look like because part of the allure of backpacking is the unpredictability and the subjectivity of everyone’s backpacking experience. For instance, while someone might have an awful time in a particular city because their wallet got stolen and they missed a bus, someone else might have the time of their life because they met a great group of people and found the best hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the city. So how would someone program for the unpredictability of backpacking? Trying to predict all of the possible things that could happen to you while you’re backpacking is basically like asking how you can predict all of the possibilities of life in general. Obviously, this is a very daunting task. However, imagine just how amazing it would be if you could build some sort of game where you could visit the various cities of the world in all their detail, where you could meet other travellers and locals who are also playing the game, where you could be pickpocketed if you aren’t careful, and could experience all of the other things that go along with real travel. Imagine a virtual reality so advanced that you could smell the spice markets of Marrakech, or taste fresh sushi in Tokyo. Now, Roblox Backpacking is a long shot from this; however, with the amount of interest and investment in the field of virtual reality, it is not out of the realm of possibility that we could see a virtual reality backpacking game such as the one I have just described within our lifetimes.
What might be the advantages of virtual reality backpacking?
Well, for starters, virtual reality backpacking would be safer than actual backpacking because you would not need to leave your own home to do it. There are certain risks associated with travelling just as there are certain risks associated with stepping outside your own front door. Obviously, I am not advocating that you stay inside your house for your entire life, and I am also not advocating that you let minor risks prevent you from travelling the world. However, I would imagine that particularly cautious people who are not very likely to do any real travelling anyway would be delighted to be given the opportunity to see the world in virtual reality.
Virtual reality backpacking would most likely also be a great deal cheaper than actual backpacking is. Of course, top-of-the-line virtual reality technology costs quite a bit in today’s world. But as with other technologies, the cost will decrease as advancements are made in the field, and virtual reality experiences will become far more affordable for the average person. While backpacking is an extremely rich and enlightening experience, it can often be quite costly when you consider plane tickets, accomodation, food, entertainment, and other expenses. If there was a cheaper way to go to the Taj Mahal, for instance, than to actually fly to India and pay for a hotel, a great deal of people might opt to do that rather than coughing up the money for a plane ticket. In this way, virtual reality backpacking could really help those who have a desire to see other parts of the world but are not in a financial position to go on a real backpacking trip.
Will virtual reality ever replace real backpacking?
For anyone who is reading this and is worried about virtual reality creating a dystopian society where nobody goes out into the real world at all and everyone lives exclusively in cyberspace, I don’t think you have anything to worry about, at least as far as backpacking is concerned. I believe that there are certain elements of the experience of a backpacking trip that cannot be recreated in virtual reality. The biggest one for me is the spontaneity of a backpacking trip, and the person-to-person relationships that form as a result of that. While backpacking, I have formed friendships with people that I could have never met otherwise, people from different cultures, people that speak different languages, and people with personalities that are far different from my own. It is the spontaneity and freedom of backpacking that makes us feel open to forming these unlikely friendships. I do not believe that the feeling of such spontaneity and freedom can be recreated in virtual reality, especially when you have the option to leave the virtual world whenever you please. On a real backpacking trip, you cannot simply hit the “Off” button and be sitting in your living room again. You have to keep going through whatever hardships you may encounter and you have to use your brain to navigate situations that may bring you out of your comfort zone. In this way, I believe that real backpacking trips offer an opportunity for personal growth that is unrivaled by anything one can experience in virtual reality.
For the reasons that I have stated above, I do not think that virtual reality will ever completely replace the tradition of real backpacking trips. I think that creating backpacking games in virtual reality could give the opportunity to experience a part of backpacking to those who would not otherwise be able to, but it will always be lacking something no matter how far technology advances. I believe that there are other people out there like me who know that there is no substitute for the feeling of being hit with the sights, the smells, and the sounds of a foreign place all at once, and then exploring that foreign place on your own two feet and seeing what it really has to offer. I would recommend to anyone reading this article that has never had an experience like this to get out in the world and start exploring. The world has so much to offer, and you’ll never know if you don’t go. All that being said, I did very much enjoy playing Roblox Backpacking, and the Roblox platform has a ton of other super cool games that are all free to play. So if you have a little free time on your hands, go check out their website and download the Roblox app here: