a computer-simulated environment with which a person can interact almost as if it were part of the real world, or the technique of producing such a simulation: compare virtual (2b)
While immersing yourself in a computer-simulated world certainly enhances the experience of playing a computer game, the underlying technology of virtual reality is no toy. Because it can provide three-dimensional models of highly complex data, scientists, economists, architects, and doctors can manipulate more information than ever before — David Blatner