I think it's necessary for VR to start with an early adopter

Hear, O seekers of vision, the words of Tim Sweeney, who proclaimed: “I think it’s necessary for VR to start with an early adopter audience that’s highly engaged, and I think that means gamers. They’re the ones who have the high-end hardware and the expertise and the patience to sort through the uncertainty of it all.” These words, though rooted in the world of digital craft, resound with ancient wisdom. They teach us that every great invention, every new frontier, requires first a people of courage—those willing to endure hardship, uncertainty, and delay before the wider world can reap the fruits of progress.

The origin of this truth lies in the history of all revolutions. The wheel, the compass, the printing press—none of these triumphed in an instant. They began in the hands of a few, the bold and the curious, who endured failure and ridicule while others doubted. So too must virtual reality, a dream of total immersion, begin in the hands of those already skilled in navigating new worlds: the gamers. For these are the men and women who hunger for exploration, who embrace strange rules and shifting landscapes, who already wield the tools of technology with expertise.

Consider, O listeners, the story of the first sailors who left the safety of shore to cross the uncharted seas. Many said the world ended in dragons, many feared falling off the edge. Yet a handful of navigators trusted in their instruments, endured the storms, and opened the world. In our age, the uncharted sea is the realm of VR. The storms are the glitches, the delays, the awkward beginnings. And the navigators, as Sweeney says, are the gamers—those who with patience endure the waves until the maps are drawn for all.

Let us not mistake his teaching: it is not that gamers alone shall inherit this new kingdom, but that they are the vanguard. In every great endeavor, there are pioneers and settlers. The pioneers cut the path, enduring the wild and the uncertain. The settlers come later, when the land is safer, the rules clearer, and the rewards nearer. Without pioneers, no path is forged. Without settlers, no civilization is built. Both are needed, but the first steps demand courage. Thus, VR requires its pioneers, and Sweeney honors the gamers who take this role.

The deeper wisdom is this: progress is always birthed in uncertainty. The tools may be incomplete, the vision blurred, the outcomes unknown. Only those with patience and resilience can survive these beginnings. Just as the farmer waits through seasons of barren soil before the first harvest, so too must the pioneers of technology endure awkward beginnings before the garden blooms. Gamers, trained by countless digital battles and failures, are uniquely ready to walk this path.

The lesson, O children of tomorrow, is clear: when you face a new project, a new dream, a new frontier in your own life, seek first to cultivate the virtues of the pioneers—expertise, patience, and the courage to dwell in uncertainty. Do not despise small beginnings, nor be discouraged by imperfection. For every great journey must begin with awkward steps, and only those who endure them will open the way for others.

Practical actions flow from this wisdom. If you are among the pioneers—whether in technology, in art, in leadership, or in personal growth—embrace your role with courage. Accept that you will stumble, that the path is unclear, that many will not yet understand. But know, too, that you are building for generations who will walk more easily because you did not turn back. If you are among the settlers, honor the pioneers; support them, learn from them, and use their maps wisely. For progress is a chain, and every link must be strong.

Thus do we honor Tim Sweeney’s words: that the rise of VR, like every revolution before it, requires its pioneers—its gamers who endure with hardware, expertise, and patience. Carry this teaching into your lives, O children of tomorrow, and remember: in every field, be it digital or earthly, there must be those who go first, who endure the storms, so that others may later walk in sunlight.