Virtual Reality Project

As I have mentioning previously during this blog, I have been working on my own idea for a virtual reality project. For this post I would like to explain its concept a bit and to show off some of the things I have created for it. Keep in mind that I am not doing this to brag about what I have done but to demonstrate what an average person can accomplish with little to no experience in this particular topic. The project that I have set out to create is one that will accurately represent physics motion problems utilizing the games already existing physics engine. With it, student should be able to get a clearer understanding of complicated motion problems in a safe and reputable environment that clearly resembles what they would actual experience if they were preforming an experiment on their own. To accomplish this, I watched some 3D modeling software tutorial videos to create simple object that I could utilize in my game. I used the free program called Blende but for people unfamiliar with these types of programs you may want to try the program Sketchup. Here are some example models that I have built.

Canon
Ramp

Using these models I then placed them into the game engine Unity. Unity is probably the simplest 3D game engine out there at the moment so I suggest starting with that one if you want to experiment. It acts like you were trying to rearrange the furniture in a room. You can push and pull game object so you can build your ideal scenes. Unity also gives you the ability to add your own music and programs to the system if you happen to know some basic programming. So within about 6 week of messing around in my down time, I ended up with this game.

VR project

(You need to have the application file and the Data file in the same folder for the game to run properly.)

It is nowhere near finished but I think it illustrates what can be accomplished with the medium if given the time. A little effort on our end can create amazing learning experiences for students.

Moving and Interact in a VR Environment

Since I plan to discuss methods for creating virtual reality environments that you can use for education in future posts, I figured it would be appropriate to look at ways to move and interact in that environment itself. While I do believe this can be difficulty, it will get better with time. As the technology gets better, it is still worth noting what someone can do as a virtual world designer.  One popular method for maneuvering in VR is through the use of what I like to call Look Controls. In the center of your vision is a dot that acts as your mouse. As you look around the environment you can point this dot on what you want to interact with either through a physical button press or a delay timer assist. This method is popular with many google cardboard applications.

Image from: http://www.coolhunt.net/traveling-without-moving-inside-the-vr-revolution

The next is something that its creator calls VR Comfort mode. It uses self-limitations to control the amount of acceleration that happens when you turn. It also utilizes many other small changes that, in general, lesson the effect of VR sickness. I suggest you look at their video for more details because I cannot accurately convey or explain all of it properly in a concise manner.

VR Comfort Mode Explained

The next way is one that has been in the gaming industry since its implementation of 3D world that is the third person view. It’s a tried and true method that is easy to implement and yes also lessons simulation sickness. It might not be appropriate though if you are trying to create a truly immersive scenario where you want the player to feel like they are a part of the environment.

Lucky's Tale - Coming for the Rift!

Vehicles on the other hand take advantage of VR current limitations, that of being confined to a chair or room depending on your personal spending preferences. Confining the game play to the cockpit of a vehicle increases the user’s emersion and despite this limitation, provides a convenient solution to how to move around the game.

What is Hover Junkers?

Another creative way people are playing with the games limitation is by utilizing teleportation mechanics. In the game Budget Cuts, players use a teleportation gun to hop around a large game map despite being confined to a small playing area. This makes the player feel like they have much more mobility then they actually do.

Budget Cuts - Vision Summit 2016 Awards (pre-alpha trailer)

Finally and probably the game that is the most fun in my opinion is called Flight. Using the free mobility of light as an excuse to continually have forward movement, players can make small adjustment as need be to explore immense play spaces. Imagine exploring Paris or some other city as if you were a bird yourself.

Eagle Flight (Virtual Reality) : Reveal Trailer [US]

Games and Education

Ok, I know I’m going to be doing a bit of fanboying here but I feel that if you are interested in this subject you should check this out. Early in my interaction with virtual reality technology, I stumbled upon this YouTube channel called Extra Credit. I have shown you a video from them in a previous post. They are a small group of game developers who talk about good practices and other things happening in the game development world. Their content ranges on a variety of different topics including how games can be used in education. I will include several of these video in this post so if you’re interested please check them out they. The work they do may fundamentally change the way you look at games and maybe even design. Now that that is out of the way, let’s look at how games can be used for education. The most obvious would have to be gamification and it’s probably the most simplest to implement. 

Image from: http://teaching.uncc.edu/technology-workshop/2016-02-16/interactive-faculty-gamification-workshop-session-2

Gamification is a term to describe the process of bringing game like elements into things other than games. In other words, the classroom. One of the examples of this is to implementing a process chart into student learning. For more extreme examples just look at the website Khan Academy or Class Craft. Khan academy uses a badge system to increase student learning and mark progress, while class craft uses RPG game elements to make classroom management a little more fun. Games are a great medium for implementing things we hold value in modern education, namely qualities like critical thinking, communication, collaboration, personal agency and many more. Games can be used to empower their players with skills and the ability to control what happens around them with little to no penalties for the learner. This though, is just a small part of the argument and I suggest you look into it further. 

How Games Empower Us - Education: Agency

How Games Prepare You for Life - Education: 21st Century Skills

Education: Responsive Learning - How Games Help Teachers

Education: An End to Fear - Why Students Hate Homework
Gamifying Education