Using Commercial Virtual Reality Games To Prototype Serious Games And Applications

In this new era of virtual reality hardware and software, traditional prototyping methods have proven less than satisfactory for truly understanding how the interaction will feel in the virtual environment. As a result, designers have stepped back from table top paper prototypes and have started using physical prototyping to understand the virtual space. The difference being that physical prototypes fill actual space that the designers can walk around in. These prototypes utilize analog methods like cardboard boxes to physically represent objects in a game. While this method yields particularly good results the space required can be exceedingly high as compared to a table top prototype. There are however, many existing commercial games that can be leveraged as prototyping tools. This software is maturing at a rapid pace, and the developers of these tools are continuing to support and explore these environments. The money being invested in this space is astronomical and the possibilities of using these tools for prototyping is only touching the full potential of the technology. This paper will explore the current state of the art in analog prototyping in virtual reality and then break down the current options for prototyping applications in Virtual Reality Sandbox games