Review: Life in VR – California Coast

Life in VR – California Coast begins with the viewer standing on top of the water of Monterey Bay, which is a part of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. After looking around at the surrounding area, which includes boats, buoys, and the surrounding water, the viewer is brought deep into the bay where they encounter the first of a few marine animal encounters: the sea otter. When the viewer is brought into the water, they are given the choice to either follow the sea otters around as they swim around while the narrator talks about them, or follow a different path by focusing on several different white icons that are dotted throughout the area. By following the otters, the viewer is moved through the story in a normal, linear fashion. If the viewer decides to follow the icons, they are able to unlock and explore new areas of the ocean that would be unavailable to them if they solely followed the animals. After their time with the otters is over, the viewer continues the story by following several other different sea wildlife, including squids, krill, and even a sperm whale. As you follow each of these animals, the viewer is able to not only more know about them, but is also told how each animal affects the ecosystem in the water. After the viewer has gone through all of the animals stories, they are brought out of the water, where the story finally ends and they can begin again.

The first thing I noticed when I was viewing the work was the simplicity of the interaction. My main source of interaction was a small clicker that I was given, and I used this to interact with the animals, either by clicking on them or by passing over them with the pointer. The clicker could also be used to move across the ocean using the white icons, which was one of the two ways to navigate the story, with the other being clicking on the animals themselves, which allowed me to follow them around as they swam and interacted with the ocean. There were also six “discoverable” locations that could only be found by following the icons. As a viewer, I was really only given one simple task for this work, which was to explore both the animals and the oceanic surroundings. Visually, the work provides a very open world to explore, and utilizes lighting, coloring, and surrounding structures to distinguish different spots within the ocean. The animals themselves were very realistic in their design and interacted with their environment in a normal way that was not too glitchy or forced. The story also utilized audio effectively, and the sounds that were made, whether they were the sounds of the water, the animals, or the surrounding plant life, were genuine and did not feel too out of place.

I believe that the main thing that the creators of the experience wanted to focus on in this project are the different animals that live off the coast of California, and how they live. The main story, however, that this piece portrays the interlocking dependencies of each of these animals, and how that is in turn part of the ecosystem you’re travelling through. Each of the animals that you encounter on your journey through the water each have a relationship with the other animals you see. The biggest relationship that this work shows is the food chain. For example, zooplankton is the thing that krill feed on, and then the squid feed on the krill, and then the largest predator of this ecosystem – the sperm whale – feeds on the squid. All of these animals are shown throughout the work, and their relationships with one another. The experience takes you through an accurate twelve-hour cycle, guided through its chapters by key creatures along the journey. When, for example, the sea otters are diving for the urchin in the afternoon, the Humboldt squid are going back over the trench just as days come to an end, because they hunt at night in the depths. All in all, the creator’s main purpose for this work is to show the lifestyle and ecosystem of an area of the world that would otherwise never be looked at in depth, and give viewers an idea of the intricacies of a marine ecosystem in action.

Ultimately, I thought that Life in VR, although simplistic, was very effective in portraying its story, and an overall enjoyable experience. I thought that the design of the environment was simple yet realistic, and gave me a clear idea of what the Pacific Ocean is like underwater. The animals were well made, their movements were fluid, and I was able to interact with them just the right amount. The greatest thing about this work in my opinion is the six “discoverable” locations that can be found throughout the experience. I thought that it was a great idea because it encourages viewers to not just follow the linear story by following the animals, but rather find your own path through the icons. The greatest thing about it is how the story tracked how many locations you discovered, and subsequently gave you a percentage of completion based on how many locations you discovered. For example, if you found three of the six locations, it would say “50% complete” at the end, or if you found all six, it would say “100% complete.” I thought this was a brilliant implementation because it pushes viewers to actively explore the world around, and gives them an incentive to do so. It also makes viewers want to experience the world again if they did not discover all six locations on their first playthrough. Overall, Life in VR is a very enjoyable experience, and allowed me to learn about something I would have never thought to have learned about, and I would definitely recommend playing through it.