An immersive VR game that navigates you to a real place

There’s nothing like a good walk. Two things can suck the joy out of it, though. One, you get lost. Two, you’ve walked this boring route too many times before, and now you’re bored.

What if you could just put on your VR headset, play a game for half an hour, and when you are done and take off your headset you find yourself at the destination?

The headset would be a standalone one, equipped with a depth camera, much like the WorldSense headsets. The depth camera helps make sure you don’t bump into things (— and if you do, you lose points in the game.)

The game’s levels are generated to match the route you’re actually taking. A monster blocks the road in the game, so you turn right in the game. You also turn right on Market Street in the real world. The faster you make it, and without injuries, the more points.

Obviously this would work in cars, too, although you may want to check with your local law enforcement first.

Here’s how a street would look from a car in the real world. Three confusing options.

And here’s what you would see in VR. One easy option; just follow the road.

Now add to that a great gameplay, obstacles, competing against friends. Navigating will not even be an issue.

So you might say that’s great, but what happened to experiencing the real world, to knowing the world around you, listening to the sounds of the city? And someone else might say, what happened to exercising your brain, keeping it sharp, it being in virtual reality or not? And you’re probably both right.

Game theory applied: The Flow Channel
The Void, immersive VR amusement ride
WorldSense standalone, depth-sensing VR headset