Simmullakrum

Spring 2019 - Interaction Design / VR & AR

Team: Carlo Dormiendo, Gianfranco Maccagnan, Wesley Slade

Project Overview

Created a Alternative Reality Game in Unity featuring virtual reality, augmented reality, and web/social media based components. Developed 3D assets both for digital and physical gameplay purposes. Conducted extensive user testing on multiple devices for web based content, as well as VR test sessions to fine tune gameplay and pacing of narrative.

The Premise

Extra-dimensional aliens have started replacing Sheridan students through the use of VR headsets. Players are introduced to the game when they receive a message from one of the captives while testing a VR game. Players will need to explore the Trafalgar campus, study online social media profiles, and communicate with the captured in order to free them.

Player Experience / Userflow

Players are introduced to the game when they receive a message from one of the captives while testing a VR game. Players will need to explore the area surrounding the event of first contact, converse with online social media profiles, solve series of physical and digital puzzles, and communicate with the captured in order to free them.

The Artifacts

Aside from the VR sessions, the story was also delivered via "Artifacts", these artifacts were the puzzle pieces that the players needed to find and engage with to discover the rest of the narrative for the ARG. Some Artifacts were digital, story character(s) had social media accounts where users could learn more about the events leading up to the start of the narrative. Others were physical, like posters and 3D Printed trinkets that held clues (in some cases, literally) to help them find a way to beat the game and "save the world" from interdimensional aliens.

User Testing

While the guise of a usability test was used to recruit players to play Simullakrum, it did also serve that exact purpose as well. Many changes were made on the fly as users commented on their experiences after their first playthrough. Settings like the gravity and speed were fine-tuned throughout the process.

VR Playthrough Demos

The VR experiences acted as book-ends for the larger narrative but were undeniably the most engaging part of the ARG. As the ARG wrapped up, many users just wanted to experience both VR sessions after hearing about them from their classmates and friends.