Unit 47: Emerging Technologies

VR Report – LO1

Emerging Technology in the games industry – P1

The games industry is expansive, the highest grossing sector of media and entertainment, and is constantly growing, adapting and taking influence from many forms of technology. Bringing in a new medium to present games through and developing consoles and computers to harbour the vast experiences that games can deliver has allowed them to reach over £200 billion in projected revenue for 2023 [1]. But what is the emerging medium for games? Virtual reality. Computer based virtual reality is not a new development in technology, it is almost as old as games with the first headset being created in 1968 by Ivan Sutherland, the Sword of Damocles [2], and the first game is thought to have been developed in 1958 a ten year difference between the two. Whilst both VR and games have a similar age it is not until recent history that VR games has brought itself to a point of notarization.

Modern VR started to gain traction around 2012 when Oculus was founded by Palmer Luckey, the company started with a Kickstarter project for the Rift, a VR headset to be developed with the intention of being integrated by developers in games. The Oculus Rift in its early form of the 1st Dev Kit was beyond VR headsets before it but still had a ways to go before it was adequate for playing games, the small LCD screens created motion sickness in most and the 640 x 800 resolution made for a grainy blurred vision [3]. The project was endorsed by large public figures in the games industry such as John Carmack, the co-founder of id software, the studio behind Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein 3D, Gabe Newell, a co-founder of Valve, a prestigious company in the games industry, also endorsed the VR project. Stepping forward in time, Meta, Facebook at the time, purchased Oculus with the intention of continuing work of the Oculus headsets and putting more resources then Luckey could have. The purchase of the company lead to the eventual release of the Oculus Rift in 2016, in the same year HTC released their Vive headset. Around this time is when games built for VR start appearing in the early versions that lead up to modern VR games. Job Simulator, Super Hot, and The Climb are all VR games released that year and with the availability to the public, many people started playing VR games. Whilst VR is not a new technology, VR as it is known today started its emergence in 2012 with the founding of Oculus by Palmer Luckey and over time has grown out into a small market of the games industry. What other technological advancements have or can make an impact in the games industry? Over the course of 2020, the blockchain of technology, crypto currencies and NFT’s started becoming an area of wider public knowledge and used by many for investments. With the blockchain being a digital source of revenue, many attempts have been made to incorporate it into the games industry. The introduction of pay-to-earn games, [4] Square Enix sold Tomb Raider along side developer Crystal Dynamics Eidos for over $300 million, and are slated to release their blockchain game Symbiogenesis [5].

Haptics refers to the sensation or relation of touch. Creating an experience of touch immerses the player into what they are doing, commonly this is a vibration of a controller when shooting a gun or taking damage but the area of tech goes much deeper then that which is highlighted when it is shown with VR. Haptics are wearable tech which comes in the form of a shirt or gloves, both serve a different purpose, a brief description, gloves allow for a player to hold objects and conform the players hands to the shape of the virtual object. Haptic shirts deliver force to the players chest, common appliances of this would be feeling a gunshot in a shooting game or an in-game object touching the player.

The opposite of haptic gloves is going controller-less, using entirely tracked positioning to use the players actual hands as their in-game hands is something new to the area of VR. Use of this technology can be seen on the Quest 2 headset which has the option to turn on hand-tracking, hand-tracking requires increased activity from the cameras on the headset so the option is not on by default in order to deliver some extra privacy to the user. With native hand-tracking, the Quest 2 can be slimmed down to just a headset as the need for the two touch controllers is eliminated, although using the controllers is still mandatory for many games on the headset.

Emerging technology and how it can be used in games development – P2

VR has been involved with games for some time now, 2012 when the first Oculus headset hit Kickstarter was the origin of modern VR gaming and games development for VR. What are the unique features of VR and what impacts does it bring to games development? First of all, what are the working practices of the games industry? To analyse the effects that Virtual Reality has on this industry an understanding of what the practices that are being shaped or disrupted is needed. Working practices refers to the policies and practices in a workplace with the intent of bettering the work environment. In the games industry, discussion on practice is mostly centred on crunch. Crunch is a working practice as many studios require extreme overtime for developers for an extended period of time leading up to the release of a game [6]. This has become a prevalent issue in the modern games industry as crunch has become commonplace due to the ability to patch a game after release. Whilst the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation both had internet access, the consoles used discs to play games and so when a game is released that version should ideally be a near-perfect version of the game but crunch was still present in this era of games, as it always has been. Overtime crunch has become commonplace in the industry and the negative effects of crunch can be seen in many games, most notably Cyberpunk 2077 [7] where the excess of crunch time did not lead to a polished product as the game was riddled with bugs. Often delaying the release of a game is thought to avoid crunch but with Cyberpunk 2077, each delay of the game was more time where developers where pushed to their limit for further and further.

In what ways can VR assist with crunch in the industry? The first possibility is the lack of a commute to and from the studio. VR can be used to access a virtual workplace where workers can access the studio remotely, taking off potentially upwards of an hour of the day used to access the studio in person. Another benefit of a virtual workplace is the option for customisation, some people may not work as well in a standard office environment but when that environment is not real, it can be changed to any place where they may feel comfort which can lead to increased productivity. The decreased need for a full office space will reduce the cost of overheads for a studio which leads to increased open funds which could then be used to hire additional developers, lowering the workload of the standard set of developers the studio had employed. These are possibilities of how VR could impact crunch positively but what negative effects could it have? For a studio, purchasing such a large quantity of VR headsets will lead to a massive entry barrier, if a headset could be bought for £350, for a studio with a dozen developers, the cost is already over £4000 and then additional costs such as investment in the cloud capabilities of the studio for developers to be able to access the studio from their headset or repairs for headsets or assuring that the developers have the capability to access the could from their home, the list goes on and each point adds more and more to the investment to do so. What effects could this have on developers? There may be barriers on each developer that limits their use of VR, motion sickness or difficulty with their sight immediately limits the capabilities of those people using VR. VR strains the wearers eyes, using a headset for an extended period of time multiple days a week will likely lead to a headache at the end of each working day or possibly a serious injury. A lack of a work-home disconnect could lead to the developers not getting proper rest at the end of the day, whilst they may visually be in a virtual workplace, they are still in their home. Another possibility is that developers don’t want to. After working remotely through 2020 due to Covid, it’s likely that some developers want to stay in the studio with other developers and have human connection during work hours. Crunch is meant to increase the production of a game and doesn’t always do so and VR likely won’t stop studios from crunching if the solution to one of the industries long standing issue was to not work in the studio, Covid would have shown that. Tiring developers out with increased hours leads to less productivity and whilst the virtual workplace possibility could bring benefits to the studio, the strain VR has on normal use along side increased work hours will lead to developers being unable to keep up with the slower pace of development that crunch regularly leads to.

What other emerging technologies are there that can have an impact on industries? Haptic technology is commonly used in synergy with VR technologies. Summarising what it is, haptic allows you to feel and interact with a virtual world. This technology may have benefits in the hospice industry, the care of the ill and elderly. The combination of VR and haptics will allow people to have experiences that they wouldn’t be able to have otherwise. The features of both haptics and VR work in tandem to make a life that might be difficult a bit more enjoyable. For an elderly person, haptic feedback gives an opportunity to have contact even if they have difficulty moving. Outside of hospice, what benefits can haptics bring? Covid caused many people to work remotely, haptics allow for remote touch and so can allow for more jobs to have reinforcement against any future events that will bring on the need of remote work. Touch is a vital part of human communication and so combining the visual of VR with touch of haptics will eliminate some of the social barriers that VR alone brings, real interactions with employees, customers, and peers will allow for various practices of day to day life to be completed from anywhere.

Bibliography

[1] Video games – worldwide: Statista market forecast (no date) Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-media/video-games/worldwide#:~:text=Revenue%20in%20the%20Video%20Games,to%20hit%2034.9%25%20by%202027. (Accessed: February 1, 2023).

[2] Sutherland, I.E. (1968) “A head-mounted three dimensional display.” Salt Lake City, Utah: The University of Utah (Accessed: February 1, 2023).

[3] Kumparak, G. (2014) A brief history of oculus, TechCrunch. Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2014/03/26/a-brief-history-of-oculus/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHup1mTsXvuZ4lPvDnI7WUDpj0xL1rMglJhVCdyHQgZ5m3V3roIUWjqTLP9XDLua4bk4XaO-26DoSWhsFbhE1SNCAljPXDMZZuO7Da62lpJ2krkbtRkvbKyNIT2_x4htK38z4tzD-ptzCnvOs57TUFJoyar6r8O0vWZsori-MpKt (Accessed: February 22, 2023).

[4] Good, O.S. (2022) Square Enix feared Eidos, Crystal Dynamics Games cannibalized other sales, Polygon. Polygon. Available at: https://www.polygon.com/23293797/why-did-square-enix-sell-crystal-dynamics-tomb-raider-eidos (Accessed: March 1, 2023).

[5] Nightingale, E. (2023) Fresh details on Square Enix’s blockchain experience Symbiogenesis revealed, Eurogamer.net. Eurogamer.net. Available at: https://www.eurogamer.net/fresh-details-on-square-enixs-blockchain-experience-symbiogenesis-revealed (Accessed: March 1, 2023).

[6] Frauenheim, E. (2004) No Fun For Game Developers? CNET.com Available at: https://www.cnet.com/culture/no-fun-for-game-developers/ (Accessed: March 23, 2023).

[7] Hall, C. (2020) Cyberpunk 2077 has involved months of crunch, despite past promises Polygon.com Available at: https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/4/21575914/cyberpunk-2077-release-crunch-labor-delays-cd-projekt-red (March 23, 2023).

Potential impact of VR on the future of games development – LO2

Work practices with VR – P3 P4

VR is an interesting technology that has been developed over many years, the most recent trend starting in 2014 with Oculus has proved VR as a possibility and a piece of technology that is going to stick around. But how will VR have an impact on the way the world works? Has VR already had an impact on working practices? With each generation, people grow up with more and better technology, VR may be the newest iteration of this. VR in education. VR can give students an interactive experience and the visual interaction with an environment can open a variety of new possibilities in the working practices of education. An interactive experience is one that is much more memorable and memory is the basis of learning. VR is also engaging, taking students out of the classroom takes away traditional forms of teaching encourages free thinking and opens creative pathways for a student to flourish. How can VR be implemented in a class? There are several ways for VR to be brought into the classroom, headsets are the brunt of VR tech, they provide the most immersive experience to a user and can provide the highest level of the benefits listed prior, the greater the immersion, the more memorable the experience. But a full classroom of headsets is not cheap and younger classes would not be able to make use of the tech as it is advised for people under 13 to not use headsets. Immersive classrooms are another option. These are rooms with projections the size of the walls, no expensive headsets needed, the lack of headsets also make classes easier to manage and allow for all students of any age to make use of it. Immersive classrooms have a major benefit for breaking down social barriers as it is a true shared experience. Immersive classrooms also have the benefit of being accessible to those with learning difficulties, with immersive classes being a non-traditional form of teaching, those who struggle with traditional teaching may find learning a fun experience that shows rather tells, skills that are learnt in a virtual world can be applied to the real world.

VR being a social technology has a future in the social aspects of game development, meetings. Two of the three popular project management structures involve structured meetings, discussing ongoing develop is an important step of the day-to-day of game development, but meetings are not always so easy to organize that they can be held every day. Introducing virtual meetings held inside of VR will create meetings that are easier for people on a tight schedule to attend or for someone with social anxiety to interact with their peers. One of the better uses of VR is its capabilities as a social technology and using it as one in games development will create the possibilities of people working in partnership across the world can hold a meeting in a virtual room which eliminates a barrier of looking though a monitor. Scrum is a project management format that functions through setting goals and then working through those goals and having daily meetings that last 5-10 minutes where the progress of the previous day is discussed along with the progress that is intended to be made that day. Agile, like scrum, has meetings engrained in its structure. Agile development is structured on sprints but unlike scrum, agile has meetings at the end of each cycle where the progress is discussed and the needs for the next cycle are also discussed, with these meetings being more structured then daily scrums, organizing is not a primary concern yet the point on accessibility still remains. VR meetings differ from agile and scrum because of the possibilities that VR provides. In a virtual meeting, the progress that has been made in between meetings can be presented to each person in the meeting directly rather than explaining or showing it on a whiteboard, this means that communication is more direct and easier to understand. Not only is this a better form of communicating and understanding it also allows for people with social anxiety to present their work as they do not have to stand in front of an audience or speak in a crowd, further reinforcing communication and understanding. Along side these benefits of virtual meetings, they are virtual meaning anyone, anywhere can connect to the meeting, opening up communication with studios around the world for collaboration, something that the unorganized daily scrum does not have the potential for.

Bibliography

VR for education – the future of education (2022) Immersion VR. Available at: https://immersionvr.co.uk/about-360vr/vr-for-education/#:~:text=Students%20learn%20better%20through%20experience,methods%20of%20reading%20and%20writing. (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

Curriculum-aligned virtual and augmented reality content (2022) ClassVR. Available at: https://www.classvr.com/school-curriculum-vr-ar-content/ (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

Lloyd, A. and Haraldsdottir, E. (2021) Virtual reality in hospice: Improved patient well-being, BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. Available at: https://spcare.bmj.com/content/11/3/344 (Accessed: 16 May 2023).

Deng, M. et al. (2017) Uncharted territory: Diving in to data visualization in virtual reality., Knight Lab Studio. Available at: https://studio.knightlab.com/results/exploring-data-visualization-in-vr/uncharted-territory-datavis-vr/ (Accessed: 17 May 2023).

Commercial opportunities of VR – LO3

The commercial potential of VR – P5 P6

The commercial potential of VR can be seen by varied fields, the gaming industry at large has not adopted VR but the studios and developers that have taken up VR have seen large returns with VR games industry revenue going past $1.8 billion in 2022 [1] and is estimated to hit $2.5 billion this year and then $3.2 billion in 2024. Even with R games producing $1.8 billion, in comparison to the larger games industry, it has less commercial potential then browser based PC games which brought in $2.3 billion in 2022. The games industry’s (non-VR) revenue of 2022 was $184.5 billion [2], the non-VR games industry is 100x larger then the 2022 revenue of the VR games industry. What challenges does VR bring that can bring some explanation to the small representation of VR against non-VR games industry revenue? Two factors behind this are the developers and studios and then the consumers, if large well known studios with beloved IP’s aren’t releasing games for VR, the majority of consumers won’t buy VR. If many people aren’t buying VR, large studios aren’t likely to put developers aside from current work to produce a VR game. What is stopping people from playing VR games? VR is expensive. A starting point is the headsets, what makes VR go, starting out at the cheaper end there is Meta’s Quest 2 at £399.99 or the Pico Neo 4 at £379.99 both of these headsets run off of the same chipset, meaning the complexity and graphical side of games will stay similar between the two, the neo 4 has a higher FoV whilst the Quest 2 has a higher refresh rate. Both headsets have their own benefits so the starting pool for someone getting into VR is expensive and indecisive. The high end of VR gets more expensive as you go up. A VR ready PC will cost at least £600 and then a headset needs to be purchased along side that. Sony have their own VR headset for the PlayStation 5 but it needs the headset and console to work, the price of that works out at just over £1000. The large price tag and wide variety of headsets leads to confusion for a prospect buyer and these prices and examples aren’t the top of the line hardware. A strong PC can easily cost upwards of £1500 and then the current consensus on the strongest performing headset is the Valve Index which is £919. Upwards of £2500 for top of the line VR gaming is an incredibly step price which doesn’t include any games to play. What businesses can benefit from VR? VR is an expansive technology, different businesses can derive their own benefits. Marketing is a large part of what can drive success from incorporating VR, advertising a digital showroom for cars where a customer can see the car they are after in a life size virtual world. Realtors can have virtual showrooms where potential buyers can view the house at their own pace. The games industry is the largest media sector and already make over £2 billion in revenue, as of 2022, but what about the other media sectors? how can film and television or music benefit from VR? Film can benefit from VR films, media specifically created for VR that can benefit from the alternate medium. TV in VR may find success in streaming services, allowing for multiple people to meet up in a virtual lounge and watch shows with each other provides a community experience even when they are worlds apart. Growing in popularity over the pandemic and their feature in Fortnite, virtual concerts are a likely possibility in the future of VR, specific events or a live streaming service direct from an on-going concert are an opportunity to open an extra stream of revenue, the same broadcast could even be repeated or watched with friends to live in the experience. What about other entertainment? Games, films, tv, and music are the major parts of the entertainment industry that involve technology, can books derive anything from VR? What about fairs or interactive experiences such as escape rooms? Interactive experiences have been translated to VR, games such as I expect you to die, The Room, and A Fisherman’s Tale are all examples of an interactive experience crossing over to VR, all of which are highly reviewed games.

Bibliography

[1] Kuruhara, T. (2022) Virtual reality’s second wind: VR game revenues will hit $3.2B by 2024, Newzoo. Available at: https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/vr-game-revenues-will-hit-3-2b-by-2024-as-active-headset-numbers-hit-46m (Accessed: 19 April 2023).

[2] Clement, J. (2022) Global gaming revenue by segment 2022, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/292751/mobile-gaming-revenue-worldwide-device/ (Accessed: 18 April 2023).

Presentation LO4

Creating a presentation – P7