Playing the News: Coventry Blitz VR

A virtual reality news game commemorating the events of 14 November 1940

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About Playing the News: Coventry Blitz VR

• A project designed to use the immersive technologies of Virtual Reality and gamification to learn more about a news story.

• The project offers both a story mode and a game mode to provide an interactive educational experience to bring users closer to the events

• Proof of concept with the aim to extend this project into other VR news games on different topics

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Why Coventry Blitz?Annual news coverage

for the Coventry Telegraph

Precedent of innovation in that coverage e.g. live

tweeting; immersive blog

Access to archive footage

VR model of cathedralFunded by:

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The Project

• MIT’s project looked at using games in news

• VR as the “ultimate empathy machine” – Chris Melk, 2015

• Changing engagement with news e.g. online news video study

• Dual focus – adults and children

• Use Coventry Telegraph’s archive to recreate the realities of the story

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Challenges

• Balancing information with game play

• Pared down functionality due to financial and time constraints

• Integrating Coventry Telegraph brand into the game in a way that made sense

Lessons learned• Works well for evergreen/ ongoing stories

• Plot out game play fully before starting development

• Sound is as important in VR as imagery is

• Ensure that users have a sense of agency within the game

• Seamless integration of information, branding and game play is needed to make it work

Relationship to brand

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I read the Coventry Telegraph (print or online) at least twice a week

Schools Public event

Relationship to brand

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I felt closer to the Coventry Telegraph as a brand as a result of playing this game/ experiencing this simulation

Schools

Public event

Driving engagement

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• 46.2% of school children and 36.8% of the public who tried the game felt closer to the Coventry Telegraph as a brand

• 58.15% of the school children said they would seek out other news games in future; 47% of the public surveyed said they would seek out news games in future

• 69.2% of the public agreed or strongly agreed that “I would seek out other VR simulations that explain a news event or issue in the future”; 64.89% of the schoolchildren said the same

Driving engagement

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• From the public event:

• “It is an excellent initiative and I am sure the younger generation will benefit from this reality. A brilliant way forward to learning. And experiencing. The feel great idea. Thank you for the opportunity”

• “Soundscapes worked well and I liked the game element, possibly more of it all would be ace!”T

• “I thought it was really good, I never thought I would have the opportunity to play on VR especially about Coventry and for no charge. This was a brilliant experience and I would like to do it again.”

• “Highly enjoyed it. Nearly got all the quiz right. Keep up the good work.”

• “It was a great experience. VR experience was superb.”

Driving engagement

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• From the school visits:

• “That it was very good it felt like a real experience and made me learn abut more about the blitz. i liked doing this cause it gave me information that I dint already know. it was a good experience to do exoecially at our age but overall it was really good and I would defiantly would like to do this again.”

• “It is a really good invention but it is good but scary to know how it was really like in the BlitzI would want you to visit our school and do this more often because it is fun and a good way to learn.”

• “It was amazing I really liked the game I would love to play more of these type of VR games because I found it epic!!!!!!!”

• “If you can, try to make an adventure game where you can explore different countries and explore them in different times. Also, the experience was the best thing that I have ever done in my entire time at school!”

Driving engagement

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Contact us

• We are looking for collaborators, partners and funders to extend this work

• Email: ab6597@coventry.ac.uk

• Twitter: @CoventryBlitzVR or @bmtwright

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coventryblitzVR/

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