3 Creative Challenges unique to VR game development
Since the announcement of Sony’s latest Virtual Reality headset, the PSVR 2, VR gaming is ready to take its next big step. Last time, Meta’s Quest2 made headlines by providing the most affordable VR headset and 10 million headsets have been sold so far, according to the verge.
With all these excitements centered around VR, many gaming studios are now releasing VR versions of their successful PC/console 3D games. For instance, last week Green Hell VR (VR version of the PC game that goes by the same name) was released for the meta quest2. But how exactly is a VR game different from a traditional 3D game? More importantly, what are the challenges faced specific to VR game development?
1. UI elements.
While UI can be used to display information like player health, VR games do not have this luxury simply because it is not recommended to show UI in VR. One may use it but is strongly recommended not to. Oculus suggests that “Headlock menus and UI elements are generally uncomfortable for the user and should be avoided” (source). This makes sense since we do not have a health indicator on our top left eye in real-world and aftercall, VR is a simulation of the real world.
2. Story narration.
Stories are an important part of any game. While 3D games use voiceovers and cutscenes to tell the story, this can be a bit tricky in VR.
Let’s consider a scenario in which the player falls and hangs onto a cliff. The NPC helps you climb up by reaching out his hand. Now in a 3D game, this could be a simple cutscene and the gamer just needs to sit back and watch this as a short movie clip. But in VR, it’s a different story. Since the player is immersed in it at all times, the cut scene needs to be played not as a cutscene but as the gameplay itself. The VR gamer chooses whether to let go and fall the cliff or to accept the help of the NPC. In short, what's supposed to be a cutscene is now a playable part of the game. Not all VR games offer this but the ones that do are more immersive and fun. For example, Vader immortal is a fantastic VR game that tells a wonderful story through its playable cutscenes.
Here’s the trailer for the Vader Immortal series on YouTube.
3. Motion sickness.
This can be described as an illness caused by motion/travel. Roller coasters are a prime example where some people gets sick to their stomach. Now, what if it’s the other way around? What if you are stationary and the world around you is moving? The result: motion sickness. This can be a huge problem as a small movement of the simulated world in VR can cause sickness to some players. Before you buy any VR game from the meta store, for instance, there will be a label on “comfort”. This means that smooth movement (walking using joystick controllers) can be pretty uncomfortable for new users. Hence many games come with an option to toggle between teleportation and smooth locomotion
VR games have a lot in common with 3D games. However, such challenges make VR games more of a creative problem than a technical problem to solve. But hey, creativity is no stranger to game developers and as new games are being released, we will get to see more creative solutions to these problems.
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Bugby Studios
