Students in theMaster of Science programatthethe Institut Arts et Métiers Laval traveled to Japan to participate in the IVRC international virtual reality competition. They were awarded the “Gumi” prizefor the high-quality graphics of their application.
Selected at the latest edition of the Laval Virtual, a team of students from the Master of Science at Laval Arts et Métiers Institute had secured a spot to participate in the Japanese student competition IVRC. Their goal, with their "NOVA": to maximize the use of the tracked space of the HTC Vive virtual reality headset to get the user moving and optimize their immersion.
Immersed in a futuristic spaceship, Nova users defend themselves against aggressive drones using virtual archery and helmet controllers. It's enough to get you moving! For three days, on the artificial island of Odaiba in Tokyo Bay and at the heart of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Miraikan, the student competition attracted hundreds of visitors of all ages.
Presenting our work to Asian audiences and examining their reactions was like conducting market research for us, allowing us to confront cultural differences.
The students from the "land of the rising sun" were very competitive and demonstrated great discipline as well as open-mindedness. Those from Arts et Métiers were amused.Arts et Métiers recount trying out mole and cat simulators, on all fours, which simulate the sensation of being stroked on the back. An original and surprising experience.
As for their project, the quality of the graphics in "Nova" won over the jury, and it was for this reason that the students were awarded the "Gumi" prize (mobile game publisher) from among a dozen finalists. Accompanied by Geoffrey Gorisse, PhD student at LAMPA and head of the Virtual Fantasy competition at the Laval Virtual exhibition, the students were able to meet the big names in Virtual Reality, such as Susumu Tachi, professor emeritus, and collect a large number of business cards, which will be valuable assets for their professional careers.
Once they have completed their studies at Arts et Métiers,Arts et Métiers , they will refine their application to make it more collaborative, so that several people can play at once. Noticed at the Laval Virtual trade show last year by arcade game directors, Jordan, Quentin, and Thomas would like to market Nova. Their graphic design skills could be an asset in a country where arcade games are a real institution.
