Mirage

Mirage is PGL’s VR/AR R&D, creating games and providing tools and technology for open release as well as servicing other PGL projects and partners. “Mirage” will manifest itself as a full immersion room, creating a unique working vision of the not so far future. Mirage eliminates the line between virtual and real by creating the closest to natural interactions between human and machine possible, inspired by the five senses. Various game products will be developed in creating foundations towards Mirage, designed to port across modern consumer equipment (PC/console + camera, mobile/tablet), VR headsets and as “apps” for the Mirage immersion room. Mirage will aim to pioneer critical undiscovered practices for UX in VR/AR.

Projects include:

> 3rd Eye - meditation VR / AR game with biometrics

> Mirage - “holodeck” immersion room

> Formal R+D into the new world of VR / AR UX/I best practices and frameworks

Lead: Karan Parikh (Drexel)

Mentors: Brandon Laurino (Dance Dance Revolution, EVE), Nathan Solomon (EB, PGL) 

Third Eye

You awaken to a dark, brooding and ominous wasteland. You realize that you are looking at the world through your third eye. You are listening to the deep, powerful and omnipresent voice of your own consciousness guide you through the fabric of space and time encompassing your surroundings. These surroundings are directly affected by your state of mind and your only way to transform this abysmal wreck into the paradise it once was is to meditate. Follow the omnipresent voice as you are subjected to the demons of your past, attacking you in the form nerve-wrecking hallucinations. No matter how disturbing your visions are, you have to be in control of your mind and body as you complete this transcendental voyage from hopelessness to true existential bliss.

Above is the concept for Philadelphia Game Lab’s newest experimental virtual reality game called Third Eye which is the first phase of a larger project named Mirage. The player wears a stereoscopic head-mounted display (Oculus Rift) and biosensors (Zephyr Biosensors) that measure pulse and breathing rate. The biometric measurements are your indicators of success or failure in the game. Your body is being tracked in real time using the Microsoft Kinect. As you continue to play this game you will develop the ability to remain calm and focused in all situations. You will learn to control your heart rate and emotional fluctuations as you play. The game will also help you increase your patience and physical strength as you will be required to meditate for longer periods of time in challenging physical positions.