Our series Inside XR Design examines specific examples of great XR design. Today we’re looking at the game Synapse and exploring the concept of embodiment and what makes it important to VR games.
So what the hell is embodiment and why am I boring you talking about it rather than just talking about all the cool shooting, and explosions, and smart design in the game? Well, it’s going to help us understand why certain design decisions in Synapse are so effective. So stick with me here for just a minute.
Embodiment is a term I use to describe the feeling of being physically present within a VR experience. Like you’re actually standing there in the world that’s around you.
And now your reasonable response is, “but don’t we already use the word immersion for that?”
Well colloquially people certainly do, but I want to make an important distinction between ‘immersion’ and ‘embodiment’.
‘Immersion’, for the purposes of our discussion, is when something has your complete attention. We all agree that a movie can be immersive, right? When the story or action is so engrossing it’s almost like nothing outside of the theater even exists at that moment. But has even the most immersive movie you’ve ever seen made you think you were physically inside the movie? Certainly not.
And that’s where ’embodiment’ comes in. For the sake of specificity, I’m defining immersion as being about attention. On the other hand, embodiment is about your sense of physical presence and how it relates to the world around you.
Nevermind all that stuff, Is there a good VR game where I can shoot and/or stab people yet with like, a realistic art style and decent gibs/dismemberment and blood?
Sort of like Blade & Sorcery but with guns also. I actually modded guns into B&S but it’s not quite the same. Close, though.
Or like Boneworks, but without dumbass puzzles, story, level design, parkour, slo-mo and traversal. I hate that shit, they don’t put that in action games like devil may cry for a reason - the reason being that fighting is the cool part, and that’s why most of the game is about fighting, not mucking around some soulslike endless corridor of bullshit.
I really liked that stalker clone game but it was only fighting weird zombies(?)
H3VR only has sosigs which kinda makes sense for the tone it’s going for. Wish someone modded in some dudes from like CS 1.6 or Tarkov for those T&H maps tho.
Think I might have shot a dude in TWD S&S but it was too much walking and other crap. Inventory was cool but not enough throat slitting in between, feels like that game should have subway surfers split screen mode.
I liked strangling people with the piano wire in Hitman VR, but that game is jank AF being made for PSVR. I did like going off script and messing with random map inhabitants instead of the targets though. Made me feel like Krombopulous Michael.
I feel like it’s a bit ridiculous, it’s as if most VR Devs self-censor out of some ridiculous reason. Somehow 2D video games don’t have crazy ass levels of violence nowadays, but once it’s in VR its verboten and it’s like I’m playing German censored half life or talking on reddit where everyone is some dumbass robot.
I heard of that milsim game, but that’s multiplayer only which is yuck with 12-year olds and creepy sweats.
Counter strike clone game too arcadey and also multiplayer only.
I basically want this but in VR. My best time in VR was just slaughtering endless hordes of dudes and dudettes of all sorts in B&S. Felt like I was Pullo in HBO’s Rome in the coliseum scene IYKYK. Great exercise too. Had to lie down afterwards on my carpet because I was literally too exhausted to move after hours of it, and forgot to even drink water.
Star wars mods are fun too, when you make that saber spin at a fixed distance from you and get the height just right, heads will roll and it’s very satisfying.
But I wish it wasn’t fantasy and had weapons like machetes and rifles. Maybe something like The Last Of Us 2’s human combat, but in VR. Does anyone know if metro VR let you kill normal humans at least?
