A (Brief) History of Virtual Reality (VR)

I’m a 3rd-year PhD Candidate at Ryerson University. I study virtual reality, games in learning and board games (among other things). I created this presentation for K-12, and postsecondary learners who are interested in communication technologies.

You might not know that the history of virtual reality is much, much longer and older than you might think. In fact, you’ll be surprised to see how popular VR was back in the 1800s!

Don’t forget to click on the audio button on each slide to listen to my overview on each slide.

When you are done, test your knowledge with a few fun and easy quizzes further down on this page.



Finished watching the presentation? Now you are ready to test your historical knowlege. Put the pictures in order from oldest to newest technology.


Now you have a chance to test your knowledge. No typing needed! This is for Chrome browser users only. Just shout out who you think I am describing for a bonus mark!


Here are some step-by-step instructions to help you create your own thaumatrope or Bird in the Cage optical illusion with items you have in your own home.


Special thanks to my great neighbours Janette, Liam and his sister for inspiring me to do this. Nice to connect with people with great taste in board games. Thanks for being great helpers in our neighbourhood!