Oculus invests $1m into improving society through the use of VR

Oculus is hoping to change with world with the power of VR, having launched a new initiative designed to encourage social change through virtual reality experiences.

The VR for Good campaign is currently tilted towards filmmakers, with two new programmes – the 360 Filmmakers Challenge for Students and the 360 Bootcamp for Nonprofits – aiming to inspire budding creators to utilise the medium to tell “stories with an impact” and “raise awareness for causes in need of a voice”, Oculus said.

The Rift headset maker has teamed up with local schools in San Francisco to provide nine students with a Samsung Gear VR headset and Galaxy S6 smartphone, as well as the necessary cameras and editing software, to produce three to five-minute 360-degree movies.

The bootcamp will take place this summer and pair up ten filmmakers with non-profit organisations to create 360-degree videos crafted to highlight a specific social cause. Once again, the firm will be providing hardware and software over the two-day event.