Consistency in an Immersive Experience

In recent times, immersive platforms such as augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality have enhanced experiences made by developers in the entertainment, marketing and training sector by transporting consumers into virtual worlds which can be interacted with realistically. While immersive technology has been made accessible, these experiences can negatively impact the audience's experience when there is dissonance between their respective components.

As a creative practitioner, the objective of the research was to gain a conscious understanding of the importance of consistency across various elements in a VR experience to gain clarity on the factors responsible for creating VR experiences that elicit realistic responses from the audience.

REALISM AND STYLIZATION IN COMPUTER GRAPHICS

Before discussing the consistency of a VR experience, it was important to understand realism and stylization concerning the visual aesthetic of the experience. Realism, as defined by Kim Aava, is a style of rendering in which objects in a virtual environment mimic their real-life counterpart within the limitations of the technology of the time. Realistic graphics project material properties such as roughness and metallic nature as well as surface imperfections such as sweat and dirt. Video games such as the Uncharted series and Horizon: Zero Dawn use realistic graphics to portray their worlds.

When defining stylization, Aava describes it as a style that features minimalistic visuals, where objects could be rendered as simplified or exaggerated versions of their real-world counterpart, possessing little to no surface details. The representation of the object's material properties is optional.

Researching the definitions of both styles of rendering explained the attributes that define them. The knowledge of the characteristics of each style served as a foundation upon which they could be interpreted based on the requirement of the project.

Kim Aava's article on realism and stylization can be read here.

CONSISTENCY BETWEEN VISUALS, ANIMATION AND INTERACTION

While creating appealing and polished visuals serves the experience, the effect of this polish can fall short if the quality of the animations and the level of interaction do not match the level of visual realism.

In his article, Photorealism is fine, but consistency counts for presence, researcher Dr Kristopher J. Blom compares the level of immersion in Pixar movies and The Polar Express. Blom writes about the audience's expectation of a realistic-looking character to behave and interact as they would in the real world. Failure to create animations and interactions that mirror real life would result in the audience rejecting an experience, be it a movie or an AR or VR experience.

The article highlighted the importance of consistency across visuals and interactions in a virtual experience. Despite the lack of visual realism in Pixar movies, the exaggerated movements are synergetic with cartoonish visuals. This cohesion between the animation style and visuals makes it easier for the audience to accept the experience and be immersed in it. On the other hand, the inconsistencies in the facial and body movements of characters in The Polar Express, while attempting to create photorealistic visuals break the immersion and create an unsettling experience for the viewer.

Blom's article on consistency in VR experiences can be read here.

AN ANALYSIS OF A VIRTUAL REPRISE OF STANLEY MILGRAM OBEDIENCE EXPERIMENTS

In 2006, Mel Slater and his colleagues conducted a rendition of the Milgram experiment on obedience to authority using virtual characters instead of real people. Similar to the original experiment, participants were to administer electric shocks to a virtual character to test the extent to which they were affected by the character's pain and protests. The experiment took place in two scenarios. In the first scenario, the participants administering the shocks could see and hear the virtual character. In the second scenario, the virtual character was not seen or heard, with her response conveyed through text.

The results showed that participants exhibited signs of stress and concern for the virtual character, especially when they could see and hear her. In a questionnaire following the procedure, participants stated they were reluctant to proceed with the experiment due to their negative feelings about what was happening. (Slater et al. 2006).

This experiment served as another example to validate the importance of consistency in a virtual experience. Despite the rendering quality being unrealistic and of low fidelity, the virtual character's mannerisms were 'human' enough to trigger a realistic response to her pain and cries of protest. It also gave evidence that realistic animations and interactions in a simulation were a higher priority than realistic graphics.

Similar evidence of this can be seen in Trover saves the universe, a video game published in 2019 by Squanch Games. While the game features stylized and cartoonish graphics, the interactions feel realistic due to how virtual characters address the player and not the character they are playing as. Besides making direct eye contact with the player, the characters exhibit realistic speech patterns that feel natural and candid. In the following video, an NPC berates the player for killing his pets.

What makes the action feel real is the effect it has on the life of the virtual character. One could infer that VR experiences feel real when the actions of the participant have consequences.

CLOSING REMARKS

Looking back at previously built experiences, using realistically rendered virtual characters has often broken immersion with the inability of the animation and interactions of the characters to match the level of their visual fidelity. As a creative practitioner in the immersive media industry, researching consistency in immersive experiences gave insight into the risks of pushing an experience to be photorealistic while showing how simple and minimalistic experiences can be immersive when they address and relate to the audience.

REFERENCES

• Blom, K. (2016). Photo-realism is Fine, but Consistency Counts for Presence. Virtual Orator [Online]. Available from: https://virtualorator.com/blog/photo-realism-presence/. [Accessed 30 September 2022].

• Aava, K. (2017). Realism vs. Stylized: Technique Overview. 80 Level [Online]. Available from: https://80.lv/articles/realistic-vs-stylized-technique-overview/. [Accessed 11 November 2022].

• Slater, Mel & Antley, Angus & Davison, Adam & Swapp, David & Guger, Christoph & Barker, Chris & Pistrang, Nancy & Sanchez-Vives, Maria. (2006). A Virtual Reprise of the Stanley Milgram Obedience Experiments. PloS one. 1. e39. 10.1371/journal.pone.0000039.