Environmental Virtual Reality: An Exploration Of First Time User Experiences

Abstract:

Virtual reality (VR) grows more accessible to the general public. We are seeing massive capital investment in introducing VR to the world, with Google, Facebook and Oculus Rift leading the pack. Researchers also know a lot about environmental storytelling and how to tell a compelling and moving story to positively influence action. However, little is known about how these two phenomena act in concert. I argue that environmental VR could make a powerful communication tool when its potential is amplified through the use of storytelling techniques and strategies. In this presentation, I discuss findings from a study in which I looked at how 31 first-time users interacted with a pressing environmental problem, coral bleaching in VR. I find that participants alluded to storytelling themes of journey and voyage and discuss how these findings could offer insights into how environmental VR could be used as a communication and potential behavior change tool.