In 2020 VRFocus launched its very first awards event to celebrate all that the XR industry had to offer. A big part of that was the inclusion of public voting rather than industry judging, with that vision being expanded for this year’s The Better-Than-Reality Awards by opening up the nominations to the public as well.
From today until 10th September 2021 (at 11:59 PM BST) VRFocus encourages all of our readers to nominate their favourite virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) videogames from the last 12 months, across a range of categories, some new whilst others return from last year. There are 14 categories to place your nomination which is completely free.
After the nomination closing date, the top five from each category will then go into a final voting round – public once again – from 1st October through to 14th November 2021. The winners will then be announced before the end of November.
It has been a tremendous 12 months for the XR industry with exciting innovations for both the short and long term future, as well as new videogames and apps showcasing the depth and breadth of what’s possible. With The Better-Than-Reality Awards, you can have your say, congratulating those who work so hard to make this industry what it is.
As part of the VRFocus Awards – the largest ever survey on the VR/AR market -, VRDays Europe has been chosen to be the ambassador of one of the categories: ‘Global Impact Award’. Even more this year, VRDays tackles the future of XR and how immersive tech shapes the world of tomorrow.
VRFocus introduces the ‘Better-Than-Reality Awards’
Have you always wanted to bring a VR/AR experience to light? VRFocus is giving you the opportunity to speak out! The virtual reality specialist website created the VRFocus Awards, the largest ever survey on the VR/AR market. “No judges, no committees, no bullsh*t”. Users have got the power.
Best game, most promising startups, top influencer, favourite hardware… Altogether, 6 awards will be delivered. VRFocus asks its readers to vote for the best XR content of the year 2020. No industry professionals will be selected for the final vote. It’s up to us! VRFocus has listed nominations, but also offers the possibility to fill in an open entry section. This is the time to promote new projects and companies.
VRDays Europe – ambassador of Global Impact Award
In order to help promote the awards, VRFocus has chosen a selection of industry ambassadors for each category, encouraging “their VR fans to make their voices heard”. VRDays is one of the lucky ones! The XR international event from Amsterdam is the official ambassador of the Global Impact Award.
For six years now, VRDays has been about: Business, Science and Art. But this year is special, and VRDays wants to make a difference. For its 6th edition, VRDays is exploring new horizons and taking up emerging challenges. This year, VRDays is about how immersive technologies are shaping the world of tomorrow. How can they help build a better future?
From environmental to social, XR tackles global issues the society is facing today. More and more, immersive technologies are used for sensibilization. Showing the past, present and future as a way to open people’s minds and find solutions to preserve the beauty and uniqueness of our world. XR is a powerful tool to tell meaningful stories.
Shaping the world of tomorrow
This year, more than ever, VRDays Europe wants to show how much immersive technology can make a difference. From November 4th to 6th, visionary XR experts will discuss how virtual reality has an important impact today and is becoming a valuable tool to build new perspectives for our future. Together, let’s explore new horizons – at the most immersive event of 2020.
VR inspired videogames have come a long way since the 1990s with today’s games becoming more engaging with massive improvements in quality and the way we play them. VR games like Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted, a horror-based title, and Pistol Whip, a rhythm-action first-person-shooter (FPS) are both exhilarating and fun.
Through my experience, I have come to gain a better understanding regarding which game genres are most interesting to put into VR. Game genres that require player physicality and immersion like horror, action-rhythm, fitness, or puzzles games are really emphasizing the excitement of the experience. Personally, I am most interested in seeing more games that have great storytelling like adventure titles. In Japan, VR games have been on the rise. The other day Facebook Connect mentioned that Japan is one of the biggest VR game markets. Every day there are VR games developed in Japan being released or launched for Oculus Quest 2 by Oculus.
So… how can foreign games be accepted by the Japanese?
In the past, there haven’t been many videogames developed outside of Japan that were localized for the Japanese market, but since the release of Oculus Quest last year there has been a significant increase in foreign games adapted for the Japanese market. Most Japanese are not proficient in English, so it is extremely vital for games sold in Japan to be well localized.
In addition to language, there are other somewhat unusual characteristics that are also important. Japanese people prefer VR games to have a “unique” and “well-developed” worldview with captivating characters. This may be an aspect that is slightly different and unique from Western interests. This difference is partly due to how the Japanese understand VR.
To many Japanese, VR is a type of “supported reality”. In other words, VR to many Japanese people is not a complete creation of a virtualized reality, but instead, an extended or supported reality. Japan has a unique culture of anime, manga, and games. For many Japanese, this unique culture is an escape to an imaginary world where you can become anything or anyone.
In Europe and America, it is common to see avatars that resemble the creator’s real-life self, however, in Japan, it is more common to see avatars that are quite different in shape and attributes from their creators. This may be because Western countries view VR as a real-life simulator whereas Japanese people use VR to become something different from their real-life selves.
Ready Player One’s Oasis is close to what Japanese people want in VR. Many people are motivated to play games because they can use their own unique avatar. The well-known Beat Saber VR rhythm game became popular by spreading MR-like play videos on social networking sites, but in Japan, the number of videos of avatars playing on social networking sites is far greater than the number of videos of real people playing a game.
I am excited about the future of VR games and I look forward to seeing more Japanese and foreign games becoming popular in Japan.
