Summary
Japan is often considered one of the most advanced countries in terms of new technologies. A trend that should not change when a school dedicated to virtual reality has just been created.
A school with 20 students per class
It all started last November. The “Virtual Reality Profesionnal Acadamy” then organizes a selection workshop. 350 preselected students are tested there. There are currently 30 left, and this number should soon be reduced to 10. They will be the first class of this new Japanese school dedicated to teaching virtual reality.
Each week, they will have the right to five hours of lessons on Saturday afternoon. Additional work is also planned during the week on the school's web page. The emphasis seems to be on the “gamification” of education. These duties will thus be “quests”, the teachers will be “mentors” and the school will have “guilds”. These will allow students to meet professionals, find work or discover the latest innovations. Good news for students, this education is free. The school is in fact funded by companies looking for new talent.
The courses will of course focus on virtual reality (development and design) but the economic aspect is not forgotten. Business seminars are also organized for those who aim more for management positions. It is interesting to see the success of this school while at the same time, the number of people in school is declining in Japan. 40% of Japanese colleges have thus had to part with teachers and many private schools are closing their doors. If you want to know more (and you can read Japanese), check out the university's website.
Japan's passion for virtual reality
It is not really a surprise that a school of this kind is born in Japan. It is in this country that virtual reality is most successful. Locals are enthusiastic about its potential and many companies already offer many services. Very often, these are particularly suited to Japanese customs and culture. But, while paradoxically the locals have a very complicated relationship to intimacy, it is the content related to erotica and porn that attracts the most.
So, last June, the first VR porn festival was held in Tokyo. 600 people gathered for this event and the organizers had to close the doors for fear of a riot. This show was used to present hardware but also software. However, as we explained at the time, most of these creations will never reach European markets. Virtual reality seems to be for the Japanese a way to satisfy shameful fantasies. But it also represents risks. Some people could thus abandon the idea of having real relationships in favor of the virtual one.. It only remains to wait to discover the first productions of the students of this school.
