My first attempt at incapacitating the patrolling Nazi soldier on the rooftop of this enemy-occupied infantry base ended in failure. Carved into the snowy hills of La Spezia, a city in the Liguria region of northern Italy, the view from up here is spectacular. Off in the distance, a long strand of cloud sits just about the horizon leaving a strip of clear blue beneath it. In-game, I turn my head a full 360 degrees to take it all in, and the same line follows me all the way around. In reality, I'm in the middle of my living room with the table pushed into the corner. I have a Meta Quest 3 headset strapped to my face, and I'm deep in the throes of Sniper Elite VR: Winter Warrior.
I survey my surroundings. I move slowly. I hold my imaginary rifle with two hands across my chest as if my life depends on it. Maybe it does. I've only been playing for five minutes or so but I'm already taking it entirely too seriously. I look like a total dick. And I'm experiencing what is definitely one of my favorite ever moments in my 30+ years of playing video games.
