Two VR developers open up about the emotional impact of making games for VR, and what it's like to strap in to a headset and touch something you created in a digital world.
If you’re a game developer, there’s always a moment where you get to realize the work you’ve done and the vision you’ve been trying to execute is “real.” Whether it’s that first alpha build, that shipped copy, or that photo of a family member holding your game, there’s a moment where your work is finally real, and it happens in VR too.
But because putting on a VR headset is such an all-encompassing, immersive moment, there might be something more to that action. During our conversation with Funomena’s Robin Hunicke and Irrational Exuberance designer Ben Vance last Friday, both developers explained how their emotional connection to their work has grown by working in virtual reality, and according to Hunicke, her first reaction to seeing Luna was “this is what it looks like in my mind.”
It was a really great moment for Hunicke, who added that she got teary-eyed as she talked about how much better it was than looking at the objects in Maya on a 2D screen. Since her creations felt like real objects, she says she had a close connection to seeing them in real life.
Vance, meanwhile, says his biggest emotional reaction comes from the other end of development, having played his game so much he’s forgotten what it was like to put on his headset for the first time. But now he’s become so immersed in the space, it’s become hard to verbally describe.
“It looks so good, and it feels so good to be in the space of these things—when somebody’s like ‘what’s your VR thing about?’ I don’t want to say anything at all anymore,” he told us.
Be sure to watch our full stream from last Friday for some more incredibly insightful knowledge from Hunicke and Vance on designing for VR, and subscribe to our Twitch channel for regular gameplay commentary and developer interviews
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