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!

todd@vreal.net