Real and Virtual Worlds # 7

Augmented Reality : Where We Will All Live

This section of the book looked into the various types of hardware used for AR and 3D projection. Most of the hardware shown involved the usage of headsets, but the one that stood out to me was the spatial augmented reality section, and its usage to read terrain levels and change the imagery based on that. The ability to use the technology in a headsetless environment and have it respond to real human interaction could make for future projects in development of structures more streamlined.

VRChat: Empowering the Creativity of User-Generated Virtual Worlds & Avatars

The podcast talks about identity experimentation within the VRchat environment , often people would like to pretend to be someone that they are not, and people are often roleplaying things that are silly, but it allows them to explore a side to themselves that they didn’t have it in themselves.

This goes further when it allows players to be more open that what they normally would be because of the anonymity of VRChat, with people telling personal experiences that they often wouldn't do in person, it gives people a chance to talk.

#883 ‘Rec Room:’ Social VR World Building Platform on PC, Console, Mobile, & VR

Rec room is good as it is meant to make the social aspects as accessible as possible, by providing tools to allow more possibilities in the game.

The controls of the game is meant to be easily transferrable for the players, this means, that if they understand how to play games on mobile, they can transfer some of them skills onto the VR version of the game.

The business side of social VR handling, User spike around christmas, promotions help from the App store. It can market perfectly towards people who are social outcasts, since its so easy to make friends in the game. Produces many positive outcomes.

Giving the tools to the player, much like modders, allow them to build upon and effectively creates a community within Rec Room, there literally is no roof to the imagination.

#566: VRChat Anecdotes + Dealing with Harassment & Tolling in Social VR

Social VR is great for getting together from across the country, if people want to socialise.

The culture is dependant on the community, it cant only be the developers and mods, so shunning bad behaviour, but still treating players as actual people, talking to them, not shouting at them, acting as if you are on the street. the standard is being set, this is a place where people can come to and they shouldn't be afraid to enjoy the experiences. Teaching is something that needs to implemented into these social VR environments so everyone can step up and say something.

Project Progress

This week was working on the 4 elements of the game, Player, Immersion, presence and agency. As well a an interaction plan for the game.

For immersion, making sure that the player feels a correct height throughout the game, is an important process, roughly the average size I want the player to be is just under 6 foot. Making sure that the location is understandable, it should give context to the location of the game, if they are in a house, they know they should be looking around.

For agency, the pacing of the game is important, allowing a build up of eyes to appear overtime, as the player interacts with more and more objects. The progress of the story will be tied with the object the player interacts with.

Player, making sure that sounds are correctly positioned and work well in a spatial environment. As well as giving the player hands to interact with, that will react based on the buttons they press.

Presence, space and colour being important to the game, showing depth, the unique art style should ground them into that specific reality, as everything would be tied together using it.