The final project was the most challenging assignment of the semester – as it should be. One of my greatest challenges for this assignment was conceptualizing a VR experience that I was passionate about and tied in with my advertising major. Initially, because of my love for fashion and retail, I wanted to create a VR shopping experience. However, after trying and failing and trying and failing, I scrapped the idea because I found I just didn’t have the skill set actually to create an interactive VR experience.

Knowing that VR experiences are supposed to be unique, I reflected on some of the most mesmerizing experiences of my life. This brought me to Castlerigg Circle:

I had gone to Castlerigg Circle in Cumbria during a hiking trip last summer, and the experience was amazing. I’ve never seen rocks so peculiar and placed in such a manner. Moreover, the landscape was unbelievably captivating. I didn’t want to leave. I could spend hours looking at the English rolling hills while the cold spring wind caressed my face and the sheep delightfully bah-ed. There was something so mesmerizing and slightly introspective about the experience that I decided it would be a great scene to recreate as a final project. Furthermore, the idea seamlessly tied into my advertising major, as branded VR Travel is already becoming a trend with leaders such as Marriot and _ in the industry pioneering its commercializing the use. VR travel has incredible potential because it will allow companies to such as Royal Carribean or even Virgin Atlantic, give a one of a kind glimpse into not only the destination but into what the company can do for their consumer further tightening the relationship between a brand their consumer.

Although it seems like a relatively simple scene, it was incredibly difficult to create. I was meticulous in trying to recreate the awe-inspiring landscape and the particular formation of the circle. Ultimately, my recreation of the mountains and terrain was not as similar as I hoped. It is incredibly difficult to recreate a real environment because the there are so many intricacies that go into an outside landscape that unless you are very skilled in animation, it is a very arduous task. I also ran into issues with Playmaker, particularly activating the sound bites of information that are tied to the rocks. For some reason, the “Trigger Enter” command in playmaker was not working with my scene, but after much trial and error and with the indispensable help from Professor Pacheco we discovered that the “Mouse Down” trigger worked and made for a better experience. In the end, I decided not to label what rocks had sound bites because I felt like it would lead to a more enjoyable experience if the user needed to find which rocks had information tied to them and this way, they’d be more compelled to listen and appreciate the clips. In hindsight, this might be frustrating for the user and might lead to an unpleasant experience.

Nonetheless, I am extremely proud of my creation and the overall experience I created. Mostly, I am proud of my recreation of the circle, and it’s peculiar rocks. I am also extremely pleased with the sheep I was able to make interactive in the scene. I remember fondly chasing sheep while at the circle, and it was an integral part of my experience. All in all, I have learned an incredible amount in VR Storytelling and incredibly grateful to have been in the class. VR is still in its early stages, but I am excited for what is to –rapidly- come.