You don't, though. You can use a mouse, keyboard, and monitor while gaming in "Desktop Mode," which is available. It has similar first-person game controls.
Launch the app and select "Launch in Desktop (Non-VR) mode" if you are playing VRChat on Steam.
When playing VRChat on Oculus, select "Launch in Desktop Mode" by selecting the three dots on the VRChat icon in your library.
Yes, I didn't have a VR headset when I first started playing the game and didn't get one for about a year. Undoubtedly not the same, but good enough for me. I met a few people who I now consider friends, so in my opinion, it was well worth it.
The DARPA SIMNET (SIMulator NETwork) program, which cost $240 million and connected combined arms teams in tank, helicopter, AA, Bradley FV, and other simulators in the US and Europe, was one of the first significant uses of VR.
As was demonstrated during the first Gulf War, where teams had repeatedly practiced on a model of the Iraqi landscape, the training proved to be very effective.
They progressed from making numerous errors—such as getting lost or shooting at one another—to the amazing performance they displayed during the actual conflict, taking out hundreds of enemy tanks with almost no casualties.
