A Walk Down Oak Path recreates an area of Arnold Arboretum in virtual reality. To create the experience, we overlaid a visual effect on top of the original landscape of Oak Path. During the short journey along the path, each user witnesses dazzling animations that illustrate the disappearance of our natural landscapes. A Walk Down Oak Path enables the user to experience a piece of the Arboretum in a new way.

Environmental Sim is a small meditative virtual reality game where the user can plant and grow trees while calming music plays, along with viewing other user's creative spaces gardens.

The Ascent is a virtual reality videogame in which the player takes the role of an arborist climbing a tree to collect its seeds.

https://simmer.io/@LiamUnity/vr-world

Malachi

"Escape" is a virtual reality world that represents the hardships endured by people escaping slavery through the Underground Railroad. The audience experiences a sense of thrill, fear, and relief by living the life of Henry "Box" Brown as he travels on a moving train from Virginia to Philadelphia hidden inside a wooden box. 

This project expresses the hardships that slaves dealt with and it increases the knowledge of viewers on how difficult it was to become free from slavery. Furthermore, "Escape" makes users question why and how people in the US endorsed and encouraged the inhumane practices slavey for centuries. For people of color, more specifically African Americans, the game raises the question, "when did my ancestors become free and how?". The innovation in "Escape" comes from giving the audience experience on being Henry Box Brown in the 1800s and letting viewers feel the hardships of being in a small box for a long period of time. While the user is experiencing this virtual reality, they are also enclosed in a real life box the same dimensions as Henry's. This gives users the feeling of being trapped in a cramped box to allow them to further empathize with the multi-day trek of Henry. The goal of this simulation is to allow one to realize the risk, and the mental and physical sacrifice Henry Box Brown made for freedom.

Alec

Escape is a VR experience that tells the story of Henry “Box” Brown, a slave who escaped by shipping himself from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia, New Jersey in a small box.

Henry spent over a day in a 2ft by 2ft by 3ft shipping container with nothing but a canteen of water and some cookies, oftentimes upside down or flipped on his side. Escape takes the player through Henry's journey and viewpoint, starting at a  tobacco factory where he worked, to the cramped confines of the box, and finally ending in Philadelphia. Escape is not only a VR experience, it combines the virtual box with a physical one, adding another layer of immersion to the experience.

Ben
"Escape" is a virtual reality experience of the underground railroad from the point of view of Henry "Box" Brown, a man who traveled from Virginia to Philadelphia to escape slavery by mailing himself in a 2x2x3 ft wooden box. 

Escape is an 8 minute experience that begins with the viewer (a slave) walking around the tobacco factory where they work. This immediately immerses the player into the lived experiences of those who were enslaved. Then the player is able to escape by fitting themselves in a box on a train car. The viewer watches segments of the ride from Richmond to Philadelphia through cracks in the box. At the end the player finally exits the box to be free in Philadelphia. The lived experience of Henry was compelling to represent since it highlights the pain and discipline a slave must endure to become free. With the user sitting in this small, cramped space, they experience the contrast of opening the box in Philadelphia and the intense sense of physical and emotional freedom they feel at the end. The pieces were modeled in Rhino before being put into Unity. The view out of the train was created by cutting together segments of different train rides with landscape views changing as the user travels further north and a 360 image was used for the recreation of Philadelphia. The goal is to recreate the discomfort and intense length of people that endured harsh conditions to escape slavery that anyone with little to no understanding of the underground railroad can experience and understand.

Bella

"Escape" is a virtual reality experience that represents the hardships of the Underground Railroad. The audience experiences the sense of thrill, fear, and relief by stepping into the shoes of Henry "Box"  Brown as he travels from Virginia to Philadelphia hidden inside a wooden cargo box moving on a train.

The project personalizes slavery in the 1850s and focuses on the real life treacheries faced by Henry as he escapes enslavement in the south. Players start off in a black room with text appearing in front of them describing who they are and what their life is like as a slave. Then, they are in a tobacco factory working as a slave, and after that another black screen with text appears, telling you to climb into a box that will transport you to Philadelphia. The project allows people to experience the personalized story of Henry to build an understanding of slavery was like on an individual level, and what one would endure for the potential of freedom. "Escape" is innovative as it uses VR techniques to mimic sitting in a box while traveling from Virginia to Philadelphia, yet also asks players to sit in real life. Therefore, you have the feeling of being locked up in a box and enslaved, which is what Henry endured for many, many hours.

Abby's Brief: Jackie Robinson VR is a  virtual reality experience from the perspective of the world-famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson. Viewers observe Jackie Robinson's world in the 1940s and 1950s. Using VR, users step into Robinson's shoes and provides a deeper understanding of the hardship that existed in a segregated country. 

Jackie Robinson is extremely famous for his accomplishments, especially being one of the first African-American to play in the MLB. The purpose of the project is to shine a light on the struggle Jackie Robinson had to endure. It highlights his perseverance while dealing with racism on a professional and personal level. This VR was produced by modeling shapes and figures in Rhino, then assembling and adding texture in Unity. From Unity, users can access the game and step into Jackie's world.

Anara's Brief:

The Jackie Robinson VR is based on personal experiences of the first black baseball player in the MLB, Jackie Robinson. The VR is created with different interactive scenes where the viewer can encounter different events that happened in Robinson’s life. 

The first scene is a hallway that the viewer (Jackie Robinson) walks through. Inside, users walk past pictures of famous white baseball players like Babe Ruth and Cy Young. There are also bats and baseballs that can be touched and moved. When the viewer walks onto the field, people boo and throw bananas at him. The third scene is the viewer in the kitchen where they can read and interact with a newspaper. The three scenes were specifically designed to make the viewer understand the events that Jackie Robinson endured to achieve his goal of being the first black baseball player in the MLB.

Ollo's Brief:

Jackie Robinson VR is a virtual reality experience from the perspective of a world-famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson. Viewers observe Jackie Robinson's world in the 1940s and 1950s. Using VR, users step into Robinson's shoes and provides a deeper understanding of the hardship that existed in a segregated country. 

Jackie Robinson is a very powerful historical figure and also had a significant influence on civil rights. He endured discrimination and adversity, yet persevered and became the first African American baseball player in the all-white major leagues. Through the power of virtual reality, JR VR  shows the viewer the story of Jackie Robinson in his first year of the majors and portrays forms of racism he faced in his time playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. This simulation allows the user to travel back in time and walk through three scenes from Jackie Robinson's rookie year. In one scene, a tunnel is shown where Jackie Robinson walks down and notices on the wall photos of white players and creates the feeling of power with him being the first African American player. The second scene portrays Jackie Robinson on the field with the crowd jeering and booing him. The final scene portrays Jackie's house and shows him as a civil rights leader as well as a baseball player.

Steve's Brief:

Jackie Robinson VR is a virtual reality experience from the perspective of the world-famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson. Viewers observe Jackie Robinson's world in the 1940s and 1950s. Using VR,  users step into Robinson's shoes and provides a deeper understanding of the hardship that existed in a segregated country.

Jackie Robinson is a very powerful historical figure and also had a significant influence on civil rights. He endured discrimination and adversity, yet persevered and became the first African American baseball player in the all-white major leagues. Through the power of virtual reality, JR VR shows the viewer the story of Robinson in his first year of the majors and portrays forms of racism he faced in his time playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. This simulation allows the user to travel back in time and walk through three scenes from Jackie Robinson's rookie year. The first Scene visualizes Jackie walking out onto an MLB field for the first time, where you will be booed and have banana's thrown at you. Lastly, you will be at home reading about racism at the time, and the steps Jackie Robinson took in the right direction.