Emerging Uses

& Needs of VR

Anam Shah, Patrick Dwyer and Emily Kokotajlo

INFO 653-01 Spring 2023

Prof. Midavaine

Selected References

Bozgeyikli, L. & Bozgeyikli, R. (2020). Virtual Reality : Recent Advancements, Applications and Challenges. River Publishers.

Bruno F., Bruno S., Sensi G., Luch M.L.i, Mancuso S., & Muzzupappa M. (2010). From 3D reconstruction to virtual reality: A complete methodology for digital archaeological exhibition, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 11(1), 42-49.

Dekker, A. (2013). Methodologies of Multimedial Documentation and Archiving. In J. Noordegraaf, C. G. Saba, B. Le Maître, & V. Hediger (Eds.), Preserving and Exhibiting Media Art: Challenges and Perspectives (pp. 149–195). Amsterdam University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wp6f3.12

Elgewely, M.H., Nadim, W., El Kassed, A., Yehiah, M., Talaat, M.A. & Abdennadher, S. (2021), "Immersive construction detailing education: building information modeling (BIM)–based virtual reality (VR)", Open House International, Vol. 46, pp. 359-375.

Rosen, S., Shah, A., & Kokotajlo, E. (2023, February 17). Documenting and preserving the Pratt Manhattan Gallery's VR Exhibition. Personal interview.

Sawicki, M., & Moody, J. (2020). Filming the Fantastic with Virtual Technology : Filmmaking on the Digital Backlot. Routledge.

VR in Education

• Academically speaking, VR can have many different applications.
• These academic fields have experienced a lot with VR:
• Secondary Schools, e.g. Middle and High Schools
• Construction and Architecture Students
• Archaeology Students
• But VR can be utilized by many other fields
• Typically the most common practice for VR in terms of education are through using Building Information Models, or BIM’s.

Preservation & Conservation of VR

• Immersive reality projects are difficult to preserve because they are an unstable medium, prone to digital obsolescence.
• The experience of a VR or AR project cannot be easily replicated in other forms
• Interactivity results in unique experiences for every individual
• AR projects are site-specific
• Digital software and hardware are updated at irregular intervals, making it difficult for creators to plan for future use
• Backwards compatibility is often limited to a 10-year window

VR in Entertainment

• VR has been impacting the entertainment industry with innovation for a while now. The following entertainment have been impacted:
• Cinema
• Video Games
• Shopping
• For cinema the individual is stationary. For video games and shopping the experience is fully immersive. Individuals using these VR forums feel a sense of escapism.

Image from Estarita Guerrero, A. C. (2020). Circles of Care. Ana Estarita: Immersive Media Designer. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://aestarita.com/circles-of-care.html

What is VR? VR is a type of immersive media, where the user is completely absorbed in a virtual world. AR uses a lens or projection to add virtual elements to the real world. Mixed Reality includes VR and AR.

Entertainment

Virtual Reality and Entertainment

Virtual Reality has been at the -forefront of innovation.- Many industries have been impacted by this new technology. Entertainment as we know it is changing.

Consider how virtual reality impacts -three industries- within entertainment:

• Cinema
• Video Games
• Shopping

Cinema

Cinema VR is -stationary- meaning the user doesn’t have to move around.

“Cinematic VR is not fully immersive or interactive. The viewer is stationary but can look around in a 360-degree environment. Viewer movement is controlled by the VR camera. If it moves, the viewer has the sensation of gliding or flying. In this manner, -the viewer is- -captive- and so certain types of camera movement may result in the viewer experiencing vertigo-like symptoms. Unlike game VR in which the player is grounded on the floor and autonomous in walking and other movement, -cinematic VR controls the viewer by the use- -of camera movement.- This is one of the reasons it has attracted the attention of conventional moviemakers who are experienced in creating entertainment for a passive audience” (Sawicki & Moody, 2020).

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Video Games

Video games are heavily impacted by VR. With the use of a headset or Head Mounted Device (HMD), VR video games become a -fully immersive- -experience.- Virtual Reality immerses the individual so they sense that the game is real, and they will physically feel their experience in the game.

“Virtual Reality headsets are used to immerse the user in a game or work setting. Some headsets can capture head and eye movements and transmit them to the game. Others include stereo sound systems to project the game's audio content. Some come just as goggles that display the virtual game world to the user. VR headsets -do not let users see- -any of the real external world around them.- Some headsets also come with built-in microphones” (Lutkevich, 2023).

​

Shopping

Many researchers believe that -VR creates escapism- in retail environments:

“Building upon this, the researchers utilized an immersive VR environment to provide the customers a sense of escapism from the crowd. In this study, a 2 x 2 quasi-experimental between-subjects design was used. The control group had regular shoppers and the experimental group had shoppers in VR. Participants were randomly picked, and a questionnaire was completed following the experiment” (Bozgeyikli & Bozgeyikli, 2020).

Image from: Evans, A. (2014, August 23). Is The oculus rift dk2 worth it? YouTube. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://youtu.be/CQ202JChUAk

Education

VR Gamifying Education

• Gamifying education through VR technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we learn by making education more engaging, interactive, and personalized
• VR offers education to become gamified, which is the process of extracting aspects of games to employ within an existing system

Education Possibilities of VR

• Virtual Reality has delved within multiple fields of education, mainly through utilizing the 3D process known as -Building Information Models- (BIM’s for short)
• The educational fields in question using this technology the most:
• Construction Students
• Secondary Schools (Middle and High Schools)
• Archaeology Students

BIM’s and Construction Students

• Construction students have been the most frequent in using BIM’s.
• During the process of BIM’s, a certain structure's -real-world elements- – for example, slabs, columns and beams – are -represented as digital objects- in a 3D model
• Furthermore, it allows information to be readily available in a visual form. In addition, BIM's 4D capabilities enable students to better understand the assembly process through the production of assembly animations

Images from: Elgewely, M.H., Nadim, W., El Kassed, A., Yehiah, M., Talaat, M.A. & Abdennadher, S. (2021). "Immersive construction detailing education: building information modeling (BIM)–based virtual reality (VR)", Open House International, 46, 359–375.

Secondary Schools Use of VR Tech

• In recent years, outside of the gaming market, VR technology has gained interest within academic fields as well
• Some schools in the UK have utilized VR technology to create -“Immersive Classrooms”-
• The same schools in the UK have even considered scrapping traditional field trips, in support of virtual ones. Reasons for doing so include:
• No expense for students and their families
• No permission slips needed
• No transportation
• Inclusive for all children

Image from: VR for Education - The Future of Education (2022). Immersion VR.

Archaeology Students Capitalize On VR’s 3D Tech

• Students within archaeology programs have begun creating immersive, interactive experiences that help workers better -visualize and plan projects-

Images From: Bing Huang, Bixby, L., Britt, R., & Rich, N. (2022). Playing in the Past: Digital Art History in the Age of VR Gaming. International Journal of Arts Theory & History, 17, 1–23.

Preservation &

Conservation

Ephemerality of Immersive Media

Unstable Medium

• Interactivity results in unique experiences for every individual
• “No installation is ever- -fully virtual, given the fact- -that it is approached and- -experienced by-people- -who have bodies and- -sensory capacities”- -(Ciolfi, 2021, p. 75)-
• AR projects are site-specific

Digital Obsolescence

• Digital software and hardware are updated at -irregular intervals,- making it difficult for creators to plan for future use
• -Backwards compatibility- is often limited to a 10-year window
• Adobe (version 23) only compatible to v15. Support only available for v22)

MOO zymandias

2003

Uncle Roy All Around You

2003

Images from:

Benford, S., Drozd, A., Rowland, D., Tandavanitj, N., Adams, M., Row-Farr, J., Theory, B., Oldroyd, A., Sutton, J., & Park, A. (2004). Uncle Roy All Around You: Implicating the City in a Location-Based Performance.

Blast Theory. (2022, July 18). Uncle Roy All Around You. Blast Theory. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://www.blasttheory.co.uk/projects/uncle-roy-all-around-you/

Circles of Care

2019

Images from:

Estarita Guerrero, A. C. (2020). Circles of Care. Ana Estarita: Immersive Media Designer. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://aestarita.com/circles-of-care.html

The Data We Called Home

2022

Images from:

Huang, H.-C. (2022, September 22). News: Pratt Solo Exhibition: "The Data We Called Home". Hsin-Chien Huang. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://hsinchienhuang.com/pix/_1news/n_2022_0911_prattShow/p0.php?lang=en

References

- Entertainment -

Bozgeyikli, L. & Bozgeyikli, R. (2020). Virtual Reality : Recent Advancements, Applications and Challenges. River Publishers.

Lee, H. K., Yoon, N., & Choi, D. (2022). The effect of touch simulation in virtual reality shopping. Fashion & Textiles (2198-0802), 9(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-022-00312-w

Lutkevich, B. (2023). Virtual Reality Gaming (VR Gaming). WhatIs.com. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/virtual-reality-gaming-VR-gaming

Sawicki, M., & Moody, J. (2020). Filming the Fantastic with Virtual Technology : Filmmaking on the Digital Backlot. Routledge.

Tricart, C. (2018). Virtual Reality Filmmaking : Techniques & Best Practices for VR Filmmakers. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

- Education -

Bing Huang, Bixby, L., Britt, R., & Rich, N. (2022). Playing in the Past: Digital Art History in the Age of VR Gaming. International Journal of Arts Theory & History, 17, 1–23.

Bruno F., Bruno S., Sensi G., Luch M.L.i, Mancuso S., & Muzzupappa M. (2010). From 3D reconstruction to virtual reality: A complete methodology for digital archaeological exhibition, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 11(1), 42–49.

Elgewely, M.H., Nadim, W., El Kassed, A., Yehiah, M., Talaat, M.A. & Abdennadher, S. (2021). "Immersive construction detailing education: building information modeling (BIM)–based virtual reality (VR)", Open House International, Vol. 46, pp. 359–375.

VR for Education - The Future of Education (2022). Immersion VR.

- Preservation & Conservation -

Ciolfi, L. (2021). Hybrid Interactions in Museums: Why Materiality Still Matters. In E. M. Champion (Ed.), Virtual Heritage: A Guide (pp. 67–80). Ubiquity Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2dt5m8g.10

Dekker, A. (2013). Methodologies of Multimedial Documentation and Archiving. In J. Noordegraaf, C. G. Saba, B. Le Maître, & V. Hediger (Eds.), Preserving and Exhibiting Media Art: Challenges and Perspectives (pp. 149–195). Amsterdam University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wp6f3.12

Fraistat, N., & Jones, S. E. (2003). Immersive Textuality: The Editing of Virtual Spaces. Text, 15, 69–82. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30227785

Estarita Guerrero, A. C., & Kokotajlo, E. (2022, November 25). Experiences of the VR and AR industries in Museum spaces. Personal interview.

Hess, J. (2013). Mooix. Joey Hess. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from http://joeyh.name/code/mooix/

Rajkowska, P. (2022). Your Stories – A Life Cycle Analysis. In A. Waern & A. S. Løvlie (Eds.), Hybrid Museum Experiences: Theory and Design (pp. 91–102). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2cxx8x6.8

Rosen, S., Shah, A., & Kokotajlo, E. (2023, February 17). Documenting and preserving the Pratt Manhattan Gallery's VR Exhibition. Personal interview.

Stogner, M. B. (2011). Communicating Culture in the 21st Century: The Power of Media-Enhanced Immersive Storytelling. The Journal of Museum Education, 36(2), 189–198. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20877439