Project Goals

The project aims at evoking the realization of the preciousness of life, with the underlying assumption that the users value life in itself. In an immersive, awe-inspiring landscape, users will find themselves appreciating the beauty of creation in all its forms, from the humble blade of grass to the powerful and majestic sun. A presence in the air will call their attention, and elicit a sense of curiosity mixed with undefinable purpose. In a journey through the landscape, the laws regulating the world will bend and break, to invoke a compelling desire to “keep on going”. From feeling insignificant in front of the grandiosity of nature, to covering swathes of land in the span of a glance; users will be empowered to meaningful agency in the world. But a danger lurks at the periphery of their sight, an unsettling presence that moves at impossible speeds towards and around them. It is not human, but a titanic force that all consumes and nothing leaves untouched. By losing what is dear to them, users will attempt to reach salvation, now embodied by that presence which keeps calling them. Ultimately, all hopes fade away: nothing will escape the enveloping embrace of darkness. The faster one moves away from it, the farther away salvation feels, until there is no choice but to give in and end the struggle once and for all. It is the end of life itself; blankness is everywhere and nothing can be seen or heard. After a symbolic “re-birth” of the self, users will step out of the virtual and back into the real. Familiar faces will be there to await them, welcoming smiles and soothing words. The events just experienced were not real, but the feelings definitely were. The hypothesis is that users, upon reflection, will manifestly express the desire to preserve life, against an unstoppable force that consumes all.

Desired User Experience

We want users to feel a sense of awe and appreciation as they explore the open landscape while flying. We make use of evocative images and sounds to transition between a beautiful and awe-inspiring scene to a traumatic/dramatic scene. In this transition, we want users to feel urgency and hopelessness as life is lost “forever”. Ultimately, we want to enable introspection and reflection as users long for what is now lost. Going back to the real world, after removing the headset, will also be part of the experience: users will feel togetherness with, and appreciation for, life in all its forms.

Video preview

Preview the strong perceptual experience also through just a video from below. The user can experience empowerment and freedom through flying using a magic staff. Eventually, these powers will be taken away from you to elicit strong emotions to induce a feeling of preciousness. 

GitHub repo

You can find the source code for this project at this GitHub link.

The project was developed for the Meta Quest 2 HMD using Unity 6, but it can also be run on Meta Quest 3 HMDs.