The United Kingdom has some incredible talent when it comes to immersive content creation which is why the Immersive Arcade: The Showcase was put together, a collaborative effort between several agencies including Digital Catapult; commissioned by UKRI as part of the ‘Audience of the Future’ challenge. Initially released via the Museum of Other Realities, today marks the first day of a month-long physical tour around the UK.
The unique showcase features a collection of 12 stunning examples of virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree experiences created in the UK between 2000 and 2020. Visiting a selection of cities across the country during September, Immersive Arcade: The Showcase is themed around an exploration of the human mind and is completely free for visitors to attend.
Locations will have VR headsets for guests to step inside these immersive worlds. There’s a broad selection on offer such as Modigliani VR: The Ochre Atelier which reimagines Modigliani’s final Parisian studio whilst Flood provides a 45-minute location-based XR for up to 8 audience members. Lucid follows Astra who enters her mother Eleanor’s mind after a car crash leaves her in a coma, giving Astra a chance to say goodbye; with surprising results.
Immersive Arcade: The Showcase isn’t just about bringing these immersive works to audiences that may not have experienced VR before. It’s also being used as a call to action, highlighting immersive production as a career path for young women.
“Digital Catapult is a long-standing advocate of the power of immersive technologies to create a fundamental shift in how we work and play, and we are very proud to have been so closely involved in the extraordinary growth of many immersive companies over the years,” said Jeremy Silver, CEO, Digital Catapult in a statement. “The Immersive Timeline and Immersive Showcase both aim to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the UK’s ground-breaking innovations in the area, profiling the far-sighted experiences that made an impact over the last two decades.”
Immersive Arcade: The Showcase Tour Dates
- GUILDFORD: 7th & 22nd September Virtual Production Test Stage, Unit 1A Riverside Business Centre, Guildford, GU1 4UG
- LEICESTER: 13-14th September, 14:00-19:30 The Phoenix Micro Cinema, 4 Midland Street, Leicester, LE1 1TG
- COVENTRY: 15th September West Orchards Shopping Centre, Smithford Way, Coventry CV1 1QX
- LONDON, WATERLOO: 16th September 15:00-17:00 and 19:00-24:00 MCV/Develop IRL event, 26 Leake Street entry via Waterloo Tunnel – Ticket booking required)
- MANCHESTER: 16th September. HOST, Salford, Blue Tower, MediaCityUK, M50 2ST
- LONDON, KENSAL: 17th September 14:00 – 19:00 Parlour, 5 Regent St, London NW10 5LG
- CARDIFF: 23rd September 12:00 – 14:00 and 16:00 – 18:0 Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Place, Cardiff, CF10 5AL
- HARTLEPOOL: 23rd & 24th September 10:30 – 16:30 The Northern School of Art, Hartlepool,TS24 7DR
- NOTTINGHAM: 28th September Zero Latency, Victoria Centre, Nottingham NG1 3QN
- BRIGHTON: 28th, 29th & 30th September The Fusebox Brighton, Wired Sussex, BN1 4GH
- GATESHEAD: 28th & 30th September 10:00 – 16:30 PROTO, Abbott’s Hill, Baltic Business Quarter, Gateshead, NE8 3DF
- DUNDEE: 30th September InGAME, V&A Dundee, 1 Riverside Esplanade, Dundee DD1 4EZ – Ticket booking required
Of course, if you’re not in the UK or have your own PC VR headset then you can always view the collection at home. Museum of Other Realities is free on Steam with Immersive Arcade: The Showcase requiring an additional DLC download; also free. For continued updates on the latest VR events, keep reading VRFocus.