The Rise of "Virtual Reality" (Episode: "The Simpsons Movie", 2007)

The Simpsons has earned quite the reputation for seemingly predicting the future. It’s actually a bit of a meme at this point, with fans pointing out how many things in the real world appear to have been "predicted" by the show, sometimes years in advance. While some of these predictions are purely coincidental or the result of broad satire, others do seem oddly prescient.

The Rise of "Virtual Reality" (Episode: "The Simpsons Movie", 2007)

• What happened: In the movie, Homer becomes hooked on a virtual reality (VR) game. At the time, VR was still pretty niche, and the concept felt far from becoming mainstream.
• Reality: VR technology exploded in the 2010s, with companies like Oculus (now owned by Meta) and HTC releasing VR headsets, and gaming, entertainment, and educational sectors quickly adopting it.