Virtual reality, still nascent, is becoming accessible to the general public. Occulus Rift, Playstation VR or HTC Vive...

Virtual Room, Gaming and Virtual Reality in Bordeaux

Virtual reality, still in its infancy, is becoming more and more accessible to the general public. The virtual reality components offered by Occulus Rift, Playstation VR or HTC Vive, are at the center of the digital revolution. They change our vision of video games and bring it a professional dimension.

Virtual reality is coming into homes.

Virtual reality, culture and discovery

Even if prices remain high enough for the time being to allow real democratization, there is an increase in the development of start-ups interested in the field. VR is becoming an indispensable asset in the context of learning and discovery. The player, until then a simple spectator, wants to be, thanks to virtual reality, the actor of the game in which he is immersed.

For a brand, the interest of these new technologies is to succeed in capturing the focus of the subject on the message it conveys, in an already hyper-connected environment, by erasing other distractions related to the various existing technologies. The Oculus Rift, then the Oculus Quest, have largely democratized the phenomenon.

The event sector has also taken over virtual reality. It is indeed possible to organize virtual events. Beyond totally virtual events, the use of VR is a potential factor of attractiveness.

The trade show, in particular, can become interactive and more immersive thanks to virtual reality. A specific corner can thus be installed, in situ,to create a new animation within a professional event. It is possible to go even further, with virtual exhibitions.

Immersion makes it possible to highlight, or at least, to distract visitors… Some event agencies have made it their specialty. They can support project leaders in the tailor-made design of such events. You can also find out more if you want to create your event in virtual reality. Thus, you will have all the cards in hand.

Heritage has also seized this opportunity, from guided tours to virtual tours… Even before the lockdown, museums in particular can now be visited in augmented reality, such as the Louvre Museum. In Amboise, the virtual reality headset allows you to discover how Leonardo da Vinci’s greatest inventions work.

An immersive experience for the user

Virtual reality transports the user into new dimensions, and allows him to project himself into a totally fictional universe, from the video game. It also breaks down geographical barriers. One can transport the subject very easily to a trade show, to an event and bring him a sensory experience through different interactions.

In a professional context, virtual reality is invited into medicine, sport, culture… Thanks to this technology, patients in a hospital can forget for a moment their pain or illness by changing universes. Could it be that we have found the therapy of the future?

Within the company, virtual reality ensures the training of employees. It makes it possible to collect user behaviors. This allows them to better calibrate their offer and marketing operations to reach the most people.

According to a study carried out by Sketchfab in 2017, France is the 4th most fashionable country on virtual reality in the world. Engineering is also getting into virtual reality, especially at home…

Videogaming takes over virtual reality

With such success, video game designers have redesigned their design by integrating virtual reality games into their ranges. For a user, the acquisition of such a game leads to the purchase of a virtual reality headset.

Worldwide, as of 2018, 5 million VR headsets have found buyers. A figure that has only increased since 2016, and which still tends to increase in the coming years thanks to the democratization of these technologies.

Virtual world Bordeaux Business

Virtual Room, fun activities around VR in Bordeaux

BORDEAUX Business was able to preview the Virtual Room in Bordeaux, on the eve of its opening to the public. The Virtual Room is now a network of cinemas located around the world, in Asia, Oceania, Europe and America. In France, Virtual Room exists in 16 cities, like Bordeaux, Lille, Paris, Brest or Marseille to name but a few, and its development continues to grow.

In an environment where puzzle games and escape games are becoming more and more popular, the concept of Virtual Room has found its place and seduced. Aimed at an audience of all ages, the concept of Virtual Room is playful. Across various worlds, team members (ranging from 2 to 4 people) must communicate and interact to solve puzzles and succeed in the assigned mission.

Equipped with a virtual reality headset and controllers in each hand, the immersion is total. Each movement is transcribed into the game to perfection. The Virtual Rooms last 30 to 45 minutes and offer two worlds with a different difficulty.

Each participant is in a room of 9m² where he can evolve. He communicates through a microphone with his team. This indoor “escape game” enhances cooperation, team spirit and mutual listening to succeed the puzzles. Immersed in a universe made entirely in 3D, the participant evolves fully in history, in space, in the time of the dinosaurs or in the time of the pharaohs.

A booming business in Bordeaux

In France, few rooms dedicated to escape games or puzzle games offer a virtual reality experience. This leaves, for the moment, the field free, to Virtual Room, creator of the very first virtual reality adventure accessible to the general public.

Created in 2017, Virtual Room is now present in 30 cities around the world, and continues to work on the diversification of its offer. Its founder, Tarek MOUTAWAKKIL spoke to BORDEAUX Business:

Locking people in a room, making them pay, was unheard of.

HEC Paris - ICN Graduate School of Business

Puzzle games, virtual reality adventures and escape games: a talent revealer

In a company, the mentality and behaviour of employees is essential for the team to work together in the best conditions. Communication is essential, as is team spirit. In order to reinforce all this, some leaders organize escape game sessions with their employees so that everyone works with the others, strengthening their professional relationships.

In addition, it allows certain elements of the team to reveal their true face, taking initiatives or having an analytical mind during the game, while until then, this person was quite erased in the team. Thus, escape games allow a team to strengthen itself by working together to solve puzzles. An experience that has a direct impact in the company afterwards.

In the recruitment framework too, escape games can be an excellent alternative. Indeed, when the business leader receives many CVs, it is often difficult to know which candidate will be the most in tune with the position.

In Paris, for example, candidates formed teams to participate in an escape game, and were (unknowingly) observed throughout the game by the recruiter. In this kind of environment, it is difficult to hide one’s personality.

The recruiter then sees who communicates, who acts the most, who takes the time to think to find answers and conversely, if some are erased, or contractors. A person’s temperament in an activity with people they do not know speaks volumes about how they work, and can be a decisive criterion in choosing a direction.

From video games to real estate, virtual tour is developing

In Bordeaux, the video game, new technologies and Virtual Reality sectors are on the rise, constantly developing and attracting large companies, such asUbisoft, based in Bordeaux since May 2018, or companies like ASOBO in which HoloForge,a company that will participate in the next CES Las Vegas.

With its many events related to new technological advances in business conducted with FrenchTech, and the interest turned around video games illustrated by the BGF in particular, Bordeaux is a city open to the emergence of new training materials and fun content around virtual reality.

It is now increasingly used, especially in the real estate sector. The virtual visit can thus be carried out, “the old-fashioned way”, via a computer interface, by discovering on its screen the visit, and by orienting with the mouse. But that was before…

Real estate agencies offer to visit more in immersion. From now on, the virtual reality headset allows you to live the visit in real time, as if you were there. A fantastic opportunity for the real estate sector, especially for potential buyers who are far away, or cannot travel to visit the property of their choice.

This also significantly saves the time set aside for travel between visits. Let’s bet that virtual reality will not necessarily allow you to feel the soul and the particular atmosphere of a place, by treading the landing …

Sources:

Press Kit 2018 – VIRTUAL ROOM

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