My students are working on a new project. They’re writing a “pitch” for an immersive virtual environment in response to an ad I wrote for them:
WANTED: Design Idea and Rationale for an Immersive Virtual Space
A group of Second Life residents seek a well-developed design for an immersive virtual space. We seek a space that will make visitors forget where they are and feel immersed
We define “immersion” by the following characteristics:
- visitors should feel the space is “real” though we will consider designs for “fantasy” settings
- the space should attempt to evoke specific actions and reactions in visitors. Emotional response is critical to the project.
- the space should not be “passive.” Visitors should have opportunities to participate in the space.
- Large concepts and small details are critical to “immersion”
Your “pitch” should include a method to measure or assess the space’s effectiveness. you should also include the following:
-a visual presentation with images depicting all parts of the design
-clear descriptions of : intended demographic, anticipations actions and reactions, methods of assessment to measure the effectiveness of the space
We talked about potential designs that would fit the ad. I gave them an example of an experience losely based on Fast Food Nation and Super-Size Me. We thought about building a fast food restaraunt where visitors could pretend to run the fryer etc but if they clicked on a food item and ate it their avatar would blow up to a morbidly obese size. From them on the spaces would gradually get smaller making the new obese avatar feel crowded and uncomfortable. However, in the other side of the space folks would have a chance to participate in exercises that would gradually make their avatars smaller. Of course, users would have to agree to the shape changes etc but we agreed that it would be a fun and educational build. I’m really looking forward to the ideas they come up with in a couple of weeks.