For my midterm VR project, im drawing inspiration from a pattern of themes i've been unknowingly sticking to with the previous couple of assignments exploring unity features;

• nature-themed environments: I loved using asset store trees, bushes, flowers, and grasslands when constructing my own forests and environments, and really enjoyed experimenting with the robust and complex terrain settings that were at times unpredictable in the most suitable ways. It allowed me to experiment with randomness in texture and form without having to worry about symmetry and perfection, as this is how nature is like in the real-world.

• using 3D models from my own miniature objects and characters: i loved being able to take something i own in real life and give it a narrative of its own in virtual reality. in the assignment where we incorporated 3D models, i found that my own collection of miniature characters to be very inspiring, and i built the environment around what i thought their characteristics were if they came to life.

• nostalgic elements: ever since the very first experimentation assignment where i created a farm-like scene, i was drawn to child-like, fun imagery that resonated with my love for finding joy in innocence and feel-good storytelling.

• manipulating tone using skybox, lighting, and color scheme: i realized over time that even the smallest manipulation of where the main light source is directed could make a large difference on the user's perception of the scene; is it fun? weird? mysterious?

• having a set or led path: whether it was through animating the step by step process of ordering a meal in my latest experimentation, or through creating a brick road that leads the first player controller to a scene, I am fascinated by how real-life sequences that feel natural to us cane be mimicked in vr. I also like creating a thorough, interactive experience with the first player controller.

I decided to combine the previous elements into my midterm idea that is illustrated below. Storytelling wise, the first player controller is led through a fun looking, innocent garden in the middle of a forest environment where characters are interacting with each other and being joyful. Then, along the road, the player enters a little cottage or home, goes up the stairs and encounters a bedroom where there's a curious looking portal. the player enters the portal and finds themselves in the exact same setting, with the same exact characters, except the tone is eerie, creepy, and unnerving. they leave the bedroom, go down the stairs, and leave the house to face the same garden except its dark, gloomy, and mysterious.

Conceptually, the reason why i wanted there to be a disparity between the two identical olds is that i'm fascinated with how innocence turns into fear and anxiety over time. There is this popular notion of how once we grow up, we start seeing things in a "glass half empty" kind of way, and things that seemed innocent and playful when we were children start seeming suspicious or doubtfully unnerving. An example of this is how tv shows and films for children that were enjoyed by many and indue a feeling of nostalgia now unnerve some groups of people, causing a outpouring of fan-made theories about the 'real and messed up' intentions or storylines behind these harmless, explicitly child-friendly shows. When I searched up the phrase "creepy theories", these were the top three suggestions to come up along with articles such as this one:

I thought that this interest in finding the 'hidden ugly truth' behind innocent things might be reflective of how there's this notion that when we grow up, innocence becomes a privilege and were exposed to dystopian parts of the world, especially in today's climate of infectious disease, economic issues, and global conflict. This is what may lead some to be skeptical of things if they do not fit into the current climate of negativity. This is why when i eventually create this VR experience, i want the characters and setting to not change between the alternate worlds, but just to add in subtle changes like time of day, lighting, or ambience sounds that would induce fear of skepticism that reflects how the same innocent characters and simple environments can be bastardised if a different perspective and narrative is being introduced.

Comments

Aakarsh: I am a huge fan of surrealism and your project has sparked my interest a lot! I am looking forward to how you deal with this transition of innocuous innocent childhood things turning dark. Maybe looking into ElsaGate could be an interesting tangent.

Jiapei: I really like the tv shader graph that you created. The movement of the screen makes the tv very realistic!

Draft 1 of the VR project

https://shn8.itch.io/draft1-shaikha-vr-project

Final Version of the VR project

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DEwCi-ky2yT11ZjxtPGzFa4KFmxxB_vM/view?usp=sharing

I wanted to stick to my originally proposed idea, with a few minor changes. I still wanted to portray how context can change how we view seemingly innocent or childish figures. I wanted to create a journey in which the user goes through a bright, colorful world, but then encounters a portal that sends them to the same world except much gloomier and mysterious. I was aiming for the concept to be reflective of how there's this notion that when we grow up, innocence becomes a privilege and were exposed to dystopian parts of the world, especially in today's climate of infectious disease, economic issues, and global conflict.

To complete this project, I used Unity 3D Core, 16 3D models of objects that I own (with the app Polycam), and 5 videos sourced from the google images and free stock footage websites that I edited using the app videoleap. The rest of the assets were obtained for free from the Unity asset store and sketchfab.

since both scenes invite such differing feelings because of the atmosphere, i think a potential VR headset experience of this project would be optimal for the users to be fully immersed. However, i do acknowledge that not many people would want to submerge themselves in the dark, frightening scenery of the second scene, so i think a video projection displaying the journey would also be sufficient to get the message across. Ideally, this projection would be in a low light setting in order to capture the lighting contrast in the scenes, and would be in a landscape format with the dimensions being approximately in a 2:3 ratio.

Process

The main contributor to the contrast between the two scenes, I think, is the use of lighting. In the first scene, i made sure to illuminate every part of the user experience, as to instill a feeling of safety which would hopefully lead to exploration and embracing curiosity. However, in the second scene, the users are immediately placed into a pool of darkness, with only a few dimly lit, flickering areas of visibility. Navigation is harder and so the unknown is intimidating and frightful, prompting avoidance.