The Metaverse is a social construct.
It only exists because we collectively deem it so.
We invent complex economic systems, written and spoken modes of communication, so that we can better cooperate as a species.
We construct laws, conform to social norms so that we require less overhead when collaborating with one another.
Simple acts like buying food from a restaurant requires a complex supply chain powered by collaboration that is only made possible by such systems.

At the heart of all such systems is connection, which this demo emphasise deeply on.

It paints a future where the Metaverse, expressed in various forms, lives closely in harmony with our work.
It focuses deeply on showing how it “gets out of the way” when it’s no longer required.
It shows how it can be additive, preferring mixed reality over completely immersive experiences frequently found in VR demos.

I really like how it makes use of a sentimental soundstage to further generate resonance.

While it helps to paint a harmonious future, it doesn’t actually educate the audience what Microsoft Mesh is.
I think that should be improved by adapting the scenes to directly show what role Mesh plays.

For so long, the topic of mental health has been a taboo. When it comes to such a sensitive topic, many would rather tiptoe around or even disregard it altogether. Despite its prevalence, people with mental illnesses still face considerable stigma and discrimination¹, forming a barrier for those who need to seek treatment. Efforts by mental health advocates and non-profit organizations have made headway in raising awareness of mental illness but combating the stigma remains no easy task. For the healthy, it can be difficult to empathize with the plight of those suffering from mental conditions. This lack of understanding could also bring about the wrong impression that psychiatric patients are violent and are nothing but trouble makers, a sentiment that is further perpetuated by the media.

This is why I was especially intrigued when I came across Jane’s story during my internship at Hiverlab. Jane’s Story is a 360 degree VR video produced by Hiverlabs and TOUCH Community Services which puts you in the shoes of Jane, a student suffering from Depression. Users are put through the anxieties that are faced by Jane and is constantly bombarded by her doubts and insecurities which are conveyed through her thoughts in audio. This creates an intended effect that overwhelms the user as you drag your way through the story. The environment, the audio and the 360 degree viewing angle truly brings about an immersive experience that offers a glimpse of those plagued by mental illnesses.

While the video may not be able to fully capture the experience of those with a mental health condition, users would at least be able to understand and empathize what the former goes through. The video presents a great tool for the purposes of raising mental health awareness as it can potentially bridge the empathy gap for those watching it. In fact, social workers at TOUCH Community Services were able to utilize the video to conduct guided sessions with students.

Despite its successes and utility, the experience in Jane’s Story could still be improved. Primarily, I feel as though the graphics could use more polish as certain models like the teacher as well the trees in the background are glaringly awkward. Obviously, these aren’t the main focus of the video but it has the potential to ruin the immersion for some.

Barring its minor hiccups, I do feel as though the project is a great entry for the utility of VR for portraying mental health conditions. Such efforts could go a long way in aiding the cause for removing the stigma faced by psychiatric patients. With news of more potential episodes, there is much to look forward to for Jane’s Story.

Link to video and how it was made here: https://www.xsens.com/cases/how-hiverlab-is-using-motion-capture-to-help-people-understand-anxiety?utm_campaign=Motion%20capture%20-%20character%20animation&utm_content=185793804&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-125725

1. https://www.samhealth.org.sg/understanding-mental-health/what-is-mental-illness/
2. https://www.imh.com.sg/wellness/page.aspx?id=2106

Underground was developed by Grendel Games for surgeons to practice their motor skills in a fun and challenging way.

In the game, the player controls a vehicle equipped with two large mechanical arms suited for underground mining operations, such as drilling into large rocks, picking up debris, moving around objects, and welding pieces of scrap metal together.

Underground is one of the many games that fall under the category of Serious Games, where entertainment is used to maintain players’ interest in the subject, especially since players’ interest tend to diminish when the subject is dry. Serious games transfer knowledge, teach skills, create awareness, change behaviour, and increase motivation of its players. Players are able to practice skills through simulations, or games with less realistic environments so long as the correct action is performed.

Previously, the surgeons at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) made little use of the original simulator, despite having to practice an average of 200 hours a year to keep their motor skills up to standard. Practicing in a serious game provides the player with motivation to keep playing, through exciting characters, an imaginative game world, and competition with other players. Serious games make repetitive exercises a lot more enjoyable, making the player more intrinsically motivated to practice for a long time. Surgeons can practice using a laparoscopic controller that allows them to control the game using motions identical to those performed during laparoscopic surgery.

Underground teaches its players laparoscopic skill sets and knowledge in a more engaging manner. By combining game elements and learning strategies, players learn how to solve problems through challenges and rewards in the game. This makes it more appealing than traditional forms of learning and mediums knowledge is presented in.

Despite being a laparoscopic training tool, Underground has no official way of tracking the performance metrics related to laparoscopic surgery skills. It would have been better if players using the game for laparoscopic surgery practice could monitor their performance, and whether they have improved throughout their time practicing on the game.

Source credits:
http://undergroundthegame.com/press/
https://www.undergroundthegame.com/product/underground-controller/
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/09/video_this_laparoscopic_wii_u_controller_is_teaching_medical_students_to_perform_keyhole_surgery

I have heard VR+Sports for a long time, but have never believed its practicability — we are living in the real world, why should we do sports in the virtual world? At the end of the day, doing sports virtually is not as convenient as in the real world.

I stuck to this idea stubbornly, until I got my shoulder injury. In a judo sparring, a non-standard Ippon-seoi-nage broke my left shoulder. “AC-joint separation, ” the doctor told me, “had better never do any competitive sports anymore. ” I stopped doing all kinds of sports. But to promote injury recovery and muscle soundstage, I needed to do lots of rehabilitative exercises. The so-called rehabilitative exercises were just some basic upper body movements, which were so boring that I hardly liked to do them.

Since I could not do sports outsides, it is at that time that I started playing VR games at home. Shortly, I found playing VR games can be an ideal substitute for rehabilitative exercises. Especially, The Climb fitted my situation perfectly. First, when playing The Climb, I needed to hold my hands overhead and do lots of overhead movements, which were especially good for my shoulder injury. Second, in The Climb, I did not need to do any quick movements, which prevents me from secondary injury. Third, I did not need to move my location, so I can play it in any place, including my small bedroom. Last but not least, the game scene was so awesome and realistic. I held myself by small pivots. Above me was the cliff. Behind me was the abyss. The wind in the canyon blew me. The eagle whistled while circling in the air. I am fully focused on my movement, looking for any protruding rock to grab, keeping my balance, and carefully moving to the goal, just like a real freestyle solo. Oh, God. What an immersive experience!

After three months of playing this game, I went to the hospital for a recheck. “What did you do?”, the doctor was shocked, “MRI result shows your left shoulder has fully recovered!” I told him about my experience in the virtual world. He said, “Amazing! VR should be a new kind of treatment. The Climb should be known by other patients of mine.”

Via this experience, I realize the practicability of VR+Sports. It is not a substitute but a complement for real-world sports. It gives a chance to experience sports for the people in rehabilitation and the disabled. It also gives a chance to experience extreme sports for normal people without risk.

Although many VR sports games have achieved good performance, there is still room to improve. Take The Climb as an example. After my recovery, I feel it is too easy to play it as an exercise. One simple but useful idea to improve it is, we can design a pair of trackers with removable counterweights. The more counterweights we add, the heavier the trackers are, and the harder the exercise is.

In a previous project, our team became interested in increasing peoples’ awareness of environmental issues through games. Upon our research, we found that recently, immersive experience is widely used to raise the public’s awareness towards environmental issues. The Tree VR, introduced by New Reality Company and Rainforest Alliance, is a good example.

Tree is an award-winning VR experience where users take on the body and perspective of a rainforest tree and immerse themselves in the tragic fate of the tree. The entire game flow is only eight minutes. In the eight minutes, the player will grow from a seed to a majestic Kapok tree and witness a forest fire that destroys the forest. The Tree VR experience was open to visitors in Gardens by the Bay in 2019 with a ticket price of S$5.

Features:

The Tree VR provides a short but highly immersive experience. First of all, the graphics and art style used are very close to reality. The player can see details such as ants on the ground and wind blowing through the branches. In addition, what I liked a lot is the sound effect of the entire experience. There is no background music, and all the player can hear is the sound of the environment: the wind, the animals, the fire, etc. When people wave their controllers(branches), they can hear the slight noise made by the leaves.

Another interesting feature of Tree VR is that there are hardly any interactions throughout the entire game flow. In Tree VR, users will no longer see their hands. Instead, their hands are turned into the two branches of the tree. The player can only look around and wave their branches throughout the game. This design has both pros and cons.

Limiting users’ interactions actually makes the experience more immersive in this particular VR experience, because trees in real life are unable to interact with the environment on their own. When we see the forest fire as a tree, we cannot run away to seek help and have no choice but to wait for the fire to reach us. This is exactly what the game designers wanted to convey: “we must protect the forest for those who can’t speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish, and trees”.

However, I also agree that games with very few interactions are usually boring. Actually, I got bored for a while in Tree VR, as nothing is happening in my sight, and all I can do is wait for the next event to happen. If the designers decide to limit the interactions to make the experience more immersive, they should work harder not to make players bored.

Here I found a full playthrough video of the Tree VR, you may get a rough idea about what this VR experience is like after watching it 🙂

Minecraft has been one of the few games that remains popular even after its initial release and it is constantly being updated by the developers. It is one of the greatest gaming sandbox where players can build, craft, explore and play in their own world. Millions of players around the world would spend countless hours everyday getting lost in their own worlds. As it increases its reach and expands its support across various consoles, such as PC, Xbox and mobile, it is not surprising that Minecraft has tried to create support for VR headsets as well.

Why it is engaging:

Virtual reality is a refreshing change from the classic Minecraft gameplay on a screen. After spending so much effort into building and creating a world of your own in Minecraft, what would be better than to enjoy all of that work you spent in person? By using Minecraft VR, players are able to fully enjoy the world around them and see a whole new perspective of their Minecraft world.

Firstly, the sense of scale hits almost all players when they are new to Minecraft VR. As a two block tall character in the Minecraft world, standing among the craggy chasms, being able to look up at the looming mountains, seeing them extend into the sky far above you. One cannot deny that the experience is simply breathtaking. Due to its low-fidelity, block-based graphics, immersing into the Minecraft world gives a cartoon-like feel to players. The lack of fine details made the gameplay comfortable for players to enjoy their time in the virtual world.

Secondly, certain game actions such as swinging the arms to attack a mob, pulling the string of the bow to fire an arrow and hitting the block to mine it was very intuitive and realistic. This helps to make the game more immersive as the player has to mimic the actions in real life in order to complete a certain task in the game.

In addition, with the help of virtual reality, players are able to get up close with mobs such as dogs and cats to “pat” them. Encounters with hostile mobs in Minecraft becomes way scarier. Having to see a hostile mob approaching, attacking or even dropping from the top of the cave down to where the player is inflicts a greater fear in players as everything seems more real. This increases the challenge of the game where players get to fight all the scary mobs in first person, slashing away with their swords or blocking attacks using their shields.

Points of improvements:

Although being “inside” a Minecraft world is a novelty, it is a game where players spend a lot of time getting lost in their own virtual world with their arbitrary set of goals that they can chase for hours – building a city, exploring all the biomes, slaying the ender dragon. Despite efforts in making the game comfortable in VR such as the ability to toggle between theatre mode and immersive mode, Minecraft VR still faces the challenge of players experiencing vertigo after long hours of playing the game. Players can feel the strain in their eyes, the ache on their necks as well as the headset pressing into their face. Therefore, players would choose not to play Minecraft VR for for long hours unlike its other gaming platform counterparts.

Furthermore, as Minecraft have many controls for mining blocks, placing blocks, crouching, sprinting, jumping, eating as well as switching inventories, players who are new to VR may be overwhelmed by the shear amount of controls to familiarise. Chatting in multiplayer mode is difficult as well since the VR headsets do not provide keyboard inputs for text chats. Other modes of communication such as voice chats can help to alleviate this issue.

Nonetheless, I believe that VR has unlock a huge potential for the gaming industry to improve players’ gaming experience. Minecraft took the plunge to create their own VR experience for players and there will be many more gaming companies that will follow the trend to create VR options for their games in future.