Virtual Reality (VR) creates a fully immersive digital environment that isolates the user from the physical world. When using VR, you typically wear an enclosed headset, which allows you to see and hear only the virtual environment, isolating you from your actual surroundings. This immersion can be powerful for games or simulations, but it inherently limits real-world interaction – you can’t easily engage with people or objects around you while in VR. Augmented Reality (AR), by contrast, keeps you tethered to the real world. AR overlays virtual elements onto your view but doesn’t block your sight of your actual environment smu.edu. As a result, AR tends to be more social and integrated with real life, allowing users to interact with both the digital content and other people or objects in their vicinity gamingtechz.com. In practical terms, an AR game or app can be shared with friends right next to you – for instance, two people can see the same AR objects through their phone screens and interact together, whereas VR often confines each user to a separate solo experience. This distinction gives AR a major advantage in fostering real-world social engagement. Rather than isolating users behind a headset, AR experiences can happen in public or at home with others, complementing face-to-face interaction. For example, the viral AR game Pokémon GO brought crowds of people together outdoors to capture virtual creatures – a scene quite impossible with VR. In summary, VR transports you out of the real world into a virtual one, which can be amazing but isolating, while AR brings interactive media into your real world, encouraging shared experiences and community involvement.