Recently, Virtual Reality (VR) has seen an immense resurgence and has become a huge powerhouse that doesn’t seem to be stopping. I’ve had the chance to work in VR as well as see what all of the fuss is about. Before I went into a virtual reality headset, I didn’t think that it was really anything that big at all, but once I got into a HTC Vive, it really changed my perspective for the better. Fortunately, I don’t get motion sickness at all so I’m able to be in VR headsets for an extended amount of time.
One of the first games I was able to experience was The Lab, a games that comes free on steam. Being on a mountain top overlooking the sunrise was a beautiful experience and really let me see how great VR can be. Another game that was extremely inspiring was a game called Windlands. Basically, you’re a robot trying to collect relics and you maneuver around by shooting hooks, attaching to things. Essentially, you’re Spiderman and it feels amazing! The momentum is a little tricky and I found myself leaning forwards and backwards when I was whipping through monuments and trees.
This semester, I had the chance to work in a VR game called Modbox. Essentially, Modbox is a virtual playground where almost anything can be made with in-game assets. I was able to make a simple bow and arrow game where you had a minute to shoot as many arrows into rings as possible. There are three tiers of rings in the shape of a pyramid and decrease in size as it goes up, but the higher the ring, the most points you get. The player has the option between a bow and arrow or a manual-reload crossbow. I was able to submit it to the Steam Workshop, so I would definitely call that a success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzc1CrD_EaA
Overall, I think VR is going to go much farther than it has in the past just because the technology available is greater than it ever has been. I’m excited to see what kind of technological advancements we’re able to take away from this and how we’re going to be able to learn from this technology as it advances out of it’s infancy stage.
