The immersiveness of VR

Through my interview with a game director from Supermassive Games, I was enlightened with a few videos which I really wanted to post about because I think they stand as a brilliant example to how immersive VR is.

Oculus Rift Diorama No.2 : Der Grosse Gottlieb

This VR experiment not only immerses you visually but physically too. An experiment where you are physically put onto some stacked wobbly tables, and also virtually you are lifted high into the sky. This concept really interests me to trial out myself as its a really effective method of immersion, adding that extra depth to the virtual scene. Like placing objects in the room that are in the same position as witnessed in VR, like the use of the fan too in on the subjects in the video to create the atmosphere of wind which is displayed to the user in VR..it adds believability, increases immersion to the extent you think its actually real. VR utilises both sight and sound, with the inclusion of touch as present in this video, adds physicality, all senses are surrendered into the virtual realm, with this, what is possible??

This video also displays the immersiveness of VR and how easy it is to get carried way and demand more from your virtual surroundings. When faced with a blank room and a floor with one square tile disclosing a room below, the subject goes down on the floor to try see below... However, the floor in VR is the floor in real life, meaning he cant actually see below and bangs his head as a result which is amusing.

These videos have displayed some very interesting theories to me... Many which I really want to test and trial out, making my own CG virtual environments for someone to explore, experience and attach to emotionally... Probe those connections..

Cocoon VR - Nexus Studios

From having a fine artist background, I really admire contemporary conceptual installations. The animation company Nexus have tried their hand at combining both the art of installation and Virtual Reality, two of my favorite things in the art world combined, what could go wrong??

Absolutly nothing.

If you have patience, open mind and an artistic eye, this animated installation is perfect. Having all these 3 qualities myself, I was instantly immersed and left thinking, what does this mean???

At first I had visions of an apocalyptic scene with the building crumbling down, the tiny funnel of light at the top suddenly widening and succumbing all your vision till the next architectural structure is exposed. The realistic sound effects really involve you in the essence of the destruction, and make the world more real, the echoing giving the room both substance and life.

Next I was hit with a very disorientating cubic room of flashing light and heightened sound effects. The visuals and sound effects combing to create a very mechanical essence. This is contrasted when it transforms to an organic paper like substance, the flag waving sound effect complementing this paper aspect. But the off-white paper is destroyed with holes in as if they are damaged surrender flags

What I interpret from this, if I was viewing in an art gallery for example, is the element of war.

The destruction of the building at the start and mechanical machinery imagery creates the war element, the flashing cubes as if showing pixelated, explosions and destruction.. The cubic element perhaps showing it was a war of technology, AI intelligence.. etc. Then the white flags, a symbolic symbol of surrender..

However these flags get burnt which in itself is quite a potent image, highlighting that even though this war is over, destruction is too far gone to revert back. Then finally we recoil inside the earth in a black cocoon of soil. This symbolizes to me that the war has been so destructive life on the ground isn't possible, or it was that destructive we are all dead, dead bodies cocooned in soil.