Much of the progress in the current virtual reality (VR) industry is driven by the entertainment industry. Though critics might dismiss VR videogames or 360-degree video as a fad, a further look shows just what is possible by utilising the technology that has been built and developed for entertainment. FOIL 2018 is an event dedicated to showing just what will be possible in the future of immersive entertainment, and it has just revealed its dates and keynote speaker.
Taking place at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, the Future of Immersive Leisure, or FOIL conference will be featuring Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games as a keynote speaker. Schell has an extensive history of working with immersive entertainment, previously being the Disney VR creative director who was heavily involved in the Disney Quest project. He now runs Schell Games, who have been responsible for the VR experience I Expect You To Die, a cross between spy thriller and VR escape room.
“There are things that VR is good at teaching that are hard to teach in other ways,” Schell told Venture Beat, “Our first real project in that direction is called SuperChem, which is a virtual reality chemistry lab. It’s great for schools because a chemistry lab is a thing that has a lot of danger like broken glass and spilled chemicals. By making it all virtual, you set aside a lot of that expense, and kids can do things much faster.”
Also appearing at the conference will be Douglas Trumbull, the special effects pioneers who worked on iconic sci-fi films such as Star Trek: The Motion Picture and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Trumbull will be hosting a talk at FOIL 2018 where he will discuss the future of immersive entertainment, using his experience in special effects and as a Vice Chairman of the IMAX Corporation. Other guests include Kevin Boutte, Project Engineer for Walt Disney Imagineering and Tony Christopher of Landmark Entertainment.
The event is due to take place on 16th-17th May, 2018. Tickets and further information can be found on the FOIL 2018 website. As always, VRFocus will continue to bring you the latest news from the event.