Where Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Need to Go
We live in a thriving technology world where there are new mediums and avenues people have yet to explore. It is amazing to be part of these ever-changing times and being able to be part of history. And one of these new mediums is Virtual Reality (VR). VR is a new medium that has surged through the world and is slowly becoming a household name. There are so many different outlets that people are trying new VR experiences out in which is thrilling. For example, there are VR amusement parks where people can be transported to a new world. But, there is a rising problem in this new medium.
The majority of video games today that use VR focus on making a fantasy experience where the player is only expected to play for 10-20 minutes. They are also expected to be rather new to VR which is why most games focus on pure fantasy. This makes sense, since players get to experience new things for the first time with new technology. Lets use Ubisoft's Eagle Flight as an example. It is a great experience as many people have always wanted to fly but cannot for obvious reasons. This is a great simulation, but that is about it. Yes, there are goals and objectives for the player to do but the game at its core will simply be a fulfillment of a fantasy desire. Eagle Flight is not the only VR game that is doing this. There are numerous VR games out there that at its core focus on the 5-10 minute fantasy fulfillment and that's it. But VR is capable of so much more than that, which leads me to my point:
VR/AR experiences need to focus more on creating engaging universes.
Think about it. There are a not a lot of VR games that create their own IP out of the VR experience. Most AAA companies have yet to go into VR and do not want to make an IP out of it. Take Bethesda for example, they announced Skyrim VR recently. They are simply transferring their already created IP into VR which is a very safe move for them. Companies don't yet see the value to get into creating a pure AAA VR game because most consumers don't yet have VR equipment. Something similar to this has happened before. Remember when computers started out? They were super expensive and only marketed for wealthy people. But over time, their costs were reduced and the market became saturated with a lot of different computer companies. The same thing is going to happen to VR, but not without someone pushing it.
There some companies out there such as Survios who focus solely on VR game development. They created Raw Data which goes past being just a simulation and also creates a new world for the player to experience. Companies like these are necessary because their success echos to AAA companies that this is a profitable industry.
Personally, I am going to be creating a VR game on my student game team next year and I am going to focus on world building. I want to make a detailed world where everything has a place and purpose. Even though this is just a student game, I see it much more than that. I see this as an opportunity for seeing what VR can be, not what it is now. Hopefully, my classmates under me that are interested in VR development try and create a thrilling world and not just a 5-10 minute game. I understand this is going to be a lot of work, but I think this push is necessary if VR is going to be a household name anytime soon.
What can you do to help? Well, there is one major thing you can do.
Support Indie VR Game Developers.
The developers who solely work in VR already trudge through an uphill battle. They work in a medium where the majority of consumers cannot buy their game because they do not have the hardware to run it. And they do not have the hardware because it is too expensive and unintuitive to set up. But as soon as companies like Valve and Facebook making the VR hardware see the success of these VR game developers, they will be justified in putting more money into their hardware development.
VR isnt going anywhere, but at its current rate, it will be a while until VR is truly mainstream. And if you want to see AAA VR games as much as I do, you will support the current VR game developers. They are what in the end will push VR across the finish line and into the common home.