the future of vr gaming is social | todd hooper
TRANSCRIPT
The Future of VR Gaming is Social
Todd Hooper
CEO & Founder
VREAL
The Past
P1: “It has alighted. Be happy my heart, for I shall cause you to see it taken away." P2: “You speak as one weak of tongue, for passing is mine”
Senet
• Real world, physical game environment
• Two players
• Face to face
• Voice interaction (important for emotional cues)
Go and Tabula
• Real world, physical game environment
• Two players
• Face to face
• Voice interaction
+ An audience
The Present
Video games – 1970’s to current
• One or two players
• An audience
+ Game is an 2D abstraction, behind glass
+ Controller and primitive avatar
+ Often shoulder to shoulder, watching a game not playing
Streamer
Game content
Social chat & community
Streamer
Game content
Social chat &
community
Game streaming platforms
• Game is an 2D abstraction, behind glass• Controller and avatar+ Watching a game, not playing a game+ Interaction model is one to many (at scale)+ Text interaction (weaker emotional cues)+ Audience mostly anonymous
Q. Is this still a game, or has it morphed into a new form of media?
A. It’s both!
The (Virtual) Future
Virtual Reality upsides
+ Return to the real world, physical game environment
+ Controller and avatar relate to players actual body
+ Voice interaction
= “Social Presence” : Restores some of social cues that video gaming has lost
Virtual Reality downsides
+ Previous UX & interaction models don’t always work
+ VR to 2D interface is flawed – hard to share VR
+ Harassment –reward positive behavior and manage negative behavior
The ideal Social VR experience
• Playing and watching
• “Social Presence” delivered via environment, avatars and voice
• Audience is present in the VR game, with their own POV
• Audience controls who they interact with and how
• Deliver a seamless way to share 2D and VR content
Streamer
Game content
Social chat & community
Game content
Streamer
Viewers
Viewers
Checklist for VR developers…
• Gaming is social - the best VR games will be social
• From day one, you need to plan for social presence in your game• Face to face – the players
• Shoulder to shoulder – the audience
• Avatars & voice go a long way
• Deliver an awesome VR experience, with a 2D experience that tempts players to put on VR headset
• Get ahead of harassment and culture issues early
Thank you!