What's the human element of designing for VR?

Virtual reality is big business, and as we saw at VRDC this week, there’s a lot of opportunities for developers to break ground on new frontiers of technology and design in this field. But what are the human elements to consider when designing for VR? How do developers need to consider their players’ emotional needs, and their own, when designing experiences for virtual spaces?

These were some of the questions on hand at VRDC, and also questions in the minds of developers Robin Hunicke and Ben Vance, who were both kind enough to join us today for a discussion about their work designing virtual reality experiences. Hunicke gave a talk this week at VRDC on designing the interactions for Luna, and Vance is the creator of the indie VR game Irrational Exuberance. 

It was a fantastic discussion, as Hunicke revealed that she’s begun considering how VR and AR experiences will have lasting impacts on player’s memory and instinct, and Vance explained why he’s eliminated most hand interactions from his game beyond just touching objects. 

Be sure to watch the full stream above and subscribe to the Gamasutra Twitch channel for more regular developer interviews and gameplay commentary.