Guiding Virtual Reality How VR can help change the 'classic' guided tour to an overall experience

Final Road Show Innoguide I 26 augustus 2016 I Antwerp (Belgium)

Marnix van Gisbergen

Who are you?Guide?

Guide trainer?

Who has used Virtual Reality before?

Organization that works ‘with guides’?

WHO am I?

ACADEMIC INDUSTRY APPLIED

Professor Digital Media ConceptsManager of Research ADE

Focus: create and research ‘engaging playful experiences’

Academy for Digital Entertainment

Goal Means

NHTV University of Applied Sciences

Chaos: many new changing media pieces

Media Jigsaw Puzzle

Difficult: you already need to do so much without VR

Stop, I don’t want to play anymore

Sorry

Something has changedDaughter Luna (7),

explaining in her class, how

the VR device Oculus works

(2014)

VR is impossible to disregard Challenge that fits us and you

Game goes on: VR has been added

But where to start?Unreal virtual realities of the past have become real virtual realities of today

To describe VR is a challenge and might even be a matter of perception

1840Stereoscopic

images

and 3D films

1950Multisensory

technologies &

VR Headsets

1970Military & space

VR & hypermedia

projects + fun

1990Less successful VR

initiatives for

consumers + CAVE

2010VR HMDs,

e.g. Oculus

Rift DK1 & 2

2014Affordable

low-end:

e.g. Google

Cardboard

2015Affordable

high-end

e.g. Samsung

Gear

2016Expensive

high-end

e.g. HTC

VIVE

2016VR HMD

variants

e.g. Glyph

& Fove

2016MR & AR

holograms

e.g. HoloLens

& Magic Leap

20xxVR lenses &

body

integration

VR Adoption Dimensions

Van Gisbergen (2016)

Reality-virtual continuumMilgram and Kishino (1994)

Augmented RealityAdding a digital layer over real reality

Augmented RealityOthers adding a digital layer over your real reality

Virtual RealityMediated observation of solely virtual (digital) objects (real)

Virtual RealityMediated observation of solely virtual (digital) objects (unreal)

Virtual RealityMediated observation of solely virtual (digital) objects (combined)

Virtual RealityAnimated

Virtual RealityRecorded

VR Technology Dimensions

Van Gisbergen (2016)

Automatically track the

user in the physical and

virtual world: feels natural

Explore, navigate &

participate in virtual

worlds

Regulate real-time (social)

interaction and manipulation Mediated experience

will feel more real if

more senses are

engaged

VR ExperienceA mediated perception of being present and immersed in an environment

To understand VR you need to experience it

ConnectionTo understand a guided tour, you need to experience it

Nauseous Complicated Headache, IP &

ownership , long-term negative effects? Ugly

(resolution) Unwieldy Expensive

too Individual

Should you use it?

CAVE & Oculus (DK1) Experience (n = 1,.00)

Present inyour domain

Can you make use of it?

VR Adoption DimensionsVan Gisbergen (2016)

All there: cheap – expensive

Glasses, equipment and content Many types: and they

differ in effects (& costs)

Doable: many new tools to (easily) create your own content

360 movies360 pictures

Photosphere

Photosynth

Animated VR

Free

€ 55.000

€ 350

2016: more possibilities to find, share and experience together

Context Content Challenges

Same content

1 2 3

Adapted content

Newcontent

You createOthers create

A new medium is

never an addition to

an old one, nor does it leave the old one in

peace. It never ceases

to oppress the older

media until it finds new shapes and

positions for them

McLuhan

Rearview-mirror image“Every new medium still needs to pass through a

primary phase in which it is conceptualized by

means of existing media”

Car ≠ horseless carriageTelevision ≠ radio with picturesWebsite ≠ brochure that movesVR ≠ movie with 360o vision

Can you replace other media?

Situation ObjectsNatural description

of the leftmost object

Bosch (1985), based on an illustration by Olson (1970).

VR participant FrameworkVan Gisbergen (2015)

Or

Some Ideas / opportunities

Event: witness certain events or unique (non accessible) situations

Character: experience events from different viewpoints (POV), personas

Interaction: VR provides new ways for audiences to interact in your experience (measure)

Narrative: stimulate repeated visits by means of new stories connected to a location

On and offline: Be a guide in VR travel experiences as well

Time: experience different times (history and future) / seasons

You can put the PIECES TOGETHER

Decide the type of glasses & place in experience journey

Explain why you want VR (and not another medium)

Use all four VR technology dimensions to create a VR experience

Invite your travellers to create, share and explain what they want (they are already digital)

Or start very easy with a 360 degree movie or picture and/or use existing content

Define & describe the envisioned experience

Just start to experience & create

Use (sell) your expertise (experience wise)

I am sure you will like it

Go and experimentThank you for your attention

Interested in (digital) copy of book

(or in research or creation of VR experiences),

email me: gisbergen.m@nhtv.nl