Conclusion:
To conclude, the project was successful in showcasing the potential of Virtual Reality and voice commands in creating video games for those who are unable to use their hands or arms. Accessibility is a growing concern within the video game industry and an effort is being made to improve upon the current standards.
Whilst the potential of voice command games is limited due to the restrictive nature of saying one command at a time, it can act as a placeholder whilst future technology such as brain control is being developed. However, as a microphone and VR headset is all that is required, voice command-oriented video games may always be an affordable option on the market.
An escape room was a good choice to showcase this technology as it required multiple voice commands whilst still being simple enough to work. Creating a FPS, for example, would be borderline impossible due to the number of inputs that are required every second.
There are untested concerns with this prototype, such as the ability to recognise different accents and languages. These concerns will be tested if I continue to improve upon this project. However, even if different languages are recognised by the software, the amount of time and money required to translate every command would be immense. This is perhaps a large flaw in voice controlled video games.
Production Piece Video:
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n8fBTMelf8
Side Note:
Initially, I wanted to record the footage of my game for this video directly from the VR headset. Features such as the notes and the ‘blink’ mechanic look better in Virtual Reality. The notes look 3D and as if the user is holding them and the ‘blink’ black screen covers the users entire view which creates a satisfying teleport feeling.
Sadly, I could not find a way to upload the video I had recorded to my computer and so I had to screen record the gameplay from Unity which makes the game look less immersive due to the restricted field of view.
After researching I found that this is a bug with the headset itself where a message asking to allow access to my computers files does not appear like it had done in the past (NomadsAnIsland, 2023).
Reference:
NomadsAnIsland (2023) No MTP notification even when enabled. Meta Community Forums. 6 November. Available online: https://communityforums.atmeta.com/t5/Get-Help/No-MTP-notification-even-when-enabled/td-p/1101276 [Accessed 10/01/2024].
Full Game Walkthrough – Without Commentary:
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9rBDxRp2ug
Production Piece Video References:
- Gorini, A. & Riva, G. (2014) Virtual reality in anxiety disorders: the past and the future. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 8(2). Available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1586/14737175.8.2.215 [Accessed 03/11/2023].
- Hirt, J. & Beer, T. (2020) Use and impact of virtual reality simulation in dementia care education: a scoping review. Nurse Education Today, 84. Available online: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0260691718309122 [Accessed 06/11/2023].
- Martin, B (2020) Video Games Controlled by Thoughts. OpenMind BBVA, Internet edition. 4 March. Available online: https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/technology/innovation/video-games-controlled-by-thoughts/ [Accessed 09/01/2024].
- Purwar, S. (2019) Designing User Experience for Virtual Reality (VR) applications. Medium, Internet edition. 4 March. Available online: https://uxplanet.org/designing-user-experience-for-virtual-reality-vr-applications-fc8e4faadd96 [Accessed 03/01/2024].
- Rouse, M. (2019) Iterative Game Design. Techopedia, Internet edition. 11 June. Available online: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/27045/iterative-game-design [Accessed 20/12/2023].
- Shin, M. (2021) A Growth of Accessibility in Video Games. DO-IT, Internet edition. March. Available online: https://www.washington.edu/doit/growth-accessibility-video-games [Accessed 10/01/2024].
- Singleton, A. (2021) Moving Around in VR: Teleportation. Medium, Internet edition. 19 March. Available online: https://medium.com/pintsizedrobotninja/moving-around-in-vr-teleportation-26303cb675f8 [Accessed 06/01/2024].
- SpecialEffect (2021) Eye Gaze Games. Available online: https://www.specialeffect.org.uk/how-we-can-help/eye-gaze-games [Accessed 10/01/2024].
- Valem Tutorials (2022) How to Make a VR Game in Unity – PART 1 [Video]. Available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhtTtvBF5bI [Accessed 28/11/2023].
- VintageIsTheNewOld (2023) What percentage of games are built with Unity? VintageIsTheNewOld, Internet edition. 9 November. Available online: https://www.vintageisthenewold.com/game-pedia/what-percent-of-games-are-built-with-unity [Accessed 09/11/2023].