Newseum – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

January 30, 2018

Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience auf Viveport erschienen

Der Unabomber versetzte die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika im Zeitraum zwischen 1978 bis 1995 in Schrecken, indem er Terroranschläge in Form von Briefbomben an Universitäten und Fluggesellschaften verübte. Immersion und Newseum veröffentlichen nun die edukative VR-Erfahrung Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience zu diesem Thema für HTC Vive im Viveport, um über die Vorfälle mit einer Mischung aus Entertainment und Pädagogik aufzuklären. Eine Steam-Version soll ebenso folgen.

Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience – Geschichte in VR nacherleben

Der Unabomber (bürgerlicher Name Theodore Kaczynski) verübte 17 Jahre lang terroristische Anschläge in Amerika, indem er Briefbomben an Universitätsprofessoren und Vorstandsmitglieder von Fluggesellschaften adressierte. Durch seine Taten tötete er drei Personen und verletzte insgesamt 23 Menschen, bis ihn schließlich das FBI fassen konnte.

Diesem brisanten Thema widmet sich die Kooperation aus Immersion und dem Newseum, um mit einer VR-Erfahrung Aufklärung über die Attentate und die investigatorische Arbeit des FBI zu zeigen. In Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience für HTC Vive dürfen die Anwender der FBI Task Force beitreten, die den Terrorfällen des gefährlichen Attentäters nachgeht.

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Dabei haben die Entwickler viel Wert auf historische Genauigkeit gelegt, denn ihr dürft mit den virtuellen Nachbildern echter FBI Agenten zusammenarbeiten. In der Erfahrung erhaltet ihr unter anderem Einblicke in die Nachforschungen von Terry Turchie und Max Noel – zwei Agenten, die maßgeblich an der Aufklärung und Festnahme des Unabombers beteiligt waren.

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Der Spieler darf mit den Beweisen und gesammelten Informationen interagieren und Plätze wie den Ort der Festnahme näher unter die Lupe nehmen, um tiefere Einblicke in das gesamte Geschehen zu erhalten. Außerdem behandelt die VR-Erfahrung die Zusammenarbeit mit der Presse sowie ethische Fragen. Zusätzlich darf man diverse Interviews und Videos aus diesem Zeitraum einsehen.

Ursprünglich wurde Unabomber VR im Newseum vorgestellt, nun dürfen Besitzer einer HTC Vive die pädagogisch relevante VR-Erfahrung auch zu Hause ausprobieren.

Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience ist im Viveport für 4,24 Euro erhältlich. Eine Version auf Steam soll bald folgen.

(Quellen: VR Focus | Newseum | Video: VR Focus Youtube)

Der Beitrag Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience auf Viveport erschienen zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

January 29, 2018

Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience Comes to Viveport

Last year Immersion teamed up with The Newseum to create a virtual reality (VR) experience based on the 20-year case of the Unabomber, a US domestic terrorist who terrorised universities, airlines and computer stores with mailed bombs. Originally shown at The Newseum, Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience is now available on Viveport for HTC Vive.

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Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience allows users to join the FBI Task Force in charge of investigating one of the most challenging domestic terrorist cases in US history. Starting in 1978, the Unabomber waged a 17-year campaign of terror with lethal, homemade bombs, injuring 23 people and killing three by 1995.

Spanning eight states, the FBI investigation involved around 500 agents with educational narrative featuring insight from FBI agents Terry Turchie (Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the UNABOM investigation from 1994 to 1998) and Max Noel (FBI agent during the investigation). It explores the challenges of fighting crime in the age of terrorism, journalistic ethics, and the role of the press and the public in working with the law enforcement community.

The experience will allow players to investigate and interact with the evidence that helped solve the case and explore the primitive cabin where the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski was captured. The at-home experience also includes additional interviews, videos, and evidence to review to gain a deeper understanding of the decades long case.

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Vive Studios teamed up with The Newseum to bring Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience to Viveport, with the content marking the first in a series of similar educational experiences that the pair will bring to the platform. Future content will include Nellie Bly’s trip around the world, due to be showcased to Newseum visitors in Washington and available for download on Viveport.

Unabomber: The Virtual Reality Experience is now available on Viveport for $4.99 USD/ £3.77 GBP and will be available on Steam at a later date. For any further updates from Vive Studios or The Newseum, keep reading VRFocus.

December 28, 2017

Unabomber VR: Explore How FBI and Journalists Worked Together to Catch ‘The Unabomber’

Virtual Reality (VR) has the capability of transporting a user to another place. This is not only perfect for videogames, stories and experiences but also for historical education. This is exactly what Immersion and the Newseum wanted to do with VR application Unabomber VR; a VR experience that explores the real-life case of ‘The Unabomber’ a man who terrorised universities, airlines and computer stores. VRFocus spoke to Piotr Baczyński, the CEO of creators Immersion about the experience.

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Warsaw based studio Immersion have created a virtual reality (VR) experience that makes you a member of the investigation team on the hunt for the Unabomber, code name UNABOM (UNiversity and Airline BOMbings). Unabomber VR explores how the FBI managed to track down the man responsible for 16 bombings over the course of two decades. The case spanned eight states and involved about 500 agents, the FBI were flummoxed. In 1995, a suspect mailed a 35,000 word anti-technology essay that was over 60 pages long to The New York Times and The Washington Post. After much debate, the Post printed the manifesto with the Times sharing the costs of the prints. Months later, a tip arrived from the bomber’s brother which eventually led the FBI to a small cabin in Montana where Theodore Kaczynski was arrested. The story addresses the challenges of fighting crime in the age of terrorism, journalistic ethics and the role of press when it comes to the public interest.

The six-to-seven minute experience will allow you to make key decisions, including finding bombs and disarming them with a special police robot. Narrated by Terry Turchie, the FBI agent who ran the task force on the case, you will interact with evidence that helped unravel the mystery. As well as hear the ethical dilemma journalists had to face on their decision to publish the Unabomber Manifesto or not. Baczyński explains that they worked together with historians, crime investigators and members of the museum to make the experience as realistic as possible.

Immersion was approached by The Newseum, a museum based in Washington that is focused on journalism and freedom of speech. The Newseum already have various VR applications and are continuing this with Unabomber as the first of a new series of applications. With the next ones to be focused on famous explorer Nellie Bly, the Greensboro (Woolworth’s) Lunch Counter protest and Watergate. The Unabomber is available on Viveport and Steam VR, at a slightly longer 10-20 minute experience.

To find out more about the experience and the Unabomber, watch the video below.