Rec Room

Intro

Rec Room is a VR platform that allows users to meet up online and play games together in spaces they create or duplicate.

Number of users: Different rooms have different capacities. Room creators of private rooms can adjust the settings according to their needs.
Ease of use: easy. There is an orientation for beginners that teaches them how to control their movements. However, the downside is that users can't skip the orientation. All users need to get the "Watch" at the end of the orientation for access to the control center and home page.
Platforms: PC, iPad, Mobile, Quest, Rift, Xbox, PlayStation, Steam
Best for: It is best for teachers who want to create breakout rooms for students to complete group tasks.

First Steps

Where to find it: https://recroom.com

How to Register: On iPad, you can register without an email or phone number. It will ask you to create a unique username and enter your birthday.

Changing your avatar:
https://blog.recroom.com/posts/avatars2
You can customize a variety of features of your avatar within Rec Room

Making Spaces:
- Inviting others to your spaces:

Click on the "Watch" button on the top left corner. Go to "This Room" and choose "Create Meetup" or "Share" on the top right corner. Send the invitation link to other users!

- Controlling your space:

Go to your dorm: Click on the "Watch" button and choose "Home", then "Dorm Room" on the top right corner of the panel.

Create your own space: Click on the "Watch" button and choose "Home", then click on "Create". Click on "CREATE NEW ROOM" and make a choice from the 37 pre-designed rooms to begin. When you have a private copy of the space of your choice, you can rename and customize it as you want. You can also create subrooms within one space, which is great for small group discussions. Users can create objects with the Maker Pen.

RR+ members can own keys to private rooms.

Pedagogical Tools

Go to "Rec Center" and walk into any room of your choice.

Go to "Play". Choose a category, such as "art". Select one space from the category and join the game.

Example of a Public Room

Different rooms have different capacities.

Example of a Public Room

You can choose to "join public room" or use the room as a private space.

Potential Pedagogical Uses

Invite students to a private space you created or a private version of a room you find in Rec Center.

Example: Easter Island Egg Hunt

Pros/Cons

Pros:

Students and teachers and chat and play games/complete tasks in a private space.
The teacher can "duplicate" an existing space as "private" and invite their students.
Face value:

Cons:

The items in the store are not free so room customization is restricted.
There are no instructions on how to play the game in each room, so users might be confused when they enter a room for the first time. The teacher might have to make their own instructions or tutorials for the students.
Create objects in your space (Maker Pen): check the tutorials

Additional Resources

https://recroom.com/howtocreate

My Top 10 Favorite Rec Room Activities!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1pdxHJ3vuA

My Top 10 Favorite Rec Room Originals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ49Ofw0Np0

Potential of Rec Room for Teaching in VR / Online

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVhqzAxBRGI&t=11s

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