I found the point of "lurking" to be very strange. Being invisible while standing right behind someone listening in to their conversation is creepy. VR is not discord, it's not text. Communication is more expressive. Even in voice chat (discord included) participates are aware of everyone present. The author's wish to be the invisible man in this situation is simply unfair to the participants.

As for the range of motion: input is the cornerstone of every game system and technology in general. The content is defined by the physical input of the device. That's why touchscreen games are different from console games, why you have autoaim in consoles while it's considered cheating on PC. In VR the input is your head and hand movements, and it extends to your movements in the room too.

VR is not missing the point. It might be missing accessibility features for disabled people (although some applications do try their best, like Half Life Alyx, and stationary mode is available for most applications). While I feel for the author for not being able to enjoy VR in their special circumstances, there's only so much the developers can do.

> Why is VR more restrictive than my 27” monitor?

Because you're trying to use it as such while being unable to use the intended input methods. It's like asking how is cycling slower than walking when you can't ride a bicycle.