Last week I wrote about how my first VR experiences left me cold and made me a VR skeptic. Now that it's been a few years since I first put on a headset, VR technology (and gaming) has come a long way, and I want to go back to VR to see just how much it's changed. - and if I can recapture that limitless excitement that I used to have for technology. When I first tried VR, one of my biggest complaints was that it seemed so antisocial. While it's safe to say that 'normal' gaming can be a bit anti-social at times, with VR you wear a headset that covers your eyes and ears. No other medium seems to consciously block out the world around you to such an extent. When you live with other people, and pets, it can make things difficult, as many people may take offense if you completely ignore their presence. With regular games, you can still chat with people while you play, and there are plenty of multiplayer and co-op games that keep you in touch with people while you play. And those who don't play can continue to watch their game on the screen and on TV. Some particularly cinematic games, like Uncharted or Until Dawn, can be enjoyed by both the people watching the action and the people playing the game. With someone playing VR, everyone else can watch as the player scrambles across the room and crashes into furniture. Sure, it's entertaining for a while, but you can't help but feel a little left out.
A multiplayer revolution
So has VR changed much since then? While VR still requires you to wear a headset and block out the world, I was pleasantly surprised to find that modern VR isn't as anti-social as it seemed. The main reason for this is the growth of multiplayer VR games. When I first got into VR, experiences were almost always a solo business. The idea of multiplayer VR seemed pretty ridiculous. However, there are many multiplayer VR games out there today and it seems like it has never been easier to play with other people in VR. Since my post last week, a number of readers have reached out to suggest some multiplayer VR games to try, which I will definitely be doing in the coming weeks. But, to kick off my VR social gaming adventure, I teamed up with a few guys from HTC, as well as PC Gamer's Alan Dexter (you might know him for his rather controversial views on ray tracing). to try Tower Tag, a fast-paced multiplayer VR game to see how much fun playing with virtual friends can be.oh shit i'm a beginner
So how did I get there? Not great at first, he was absolutely baffled by the controls. It didn't help that the game places a large virtual column in the middle of your play space, and holding it kills you. What I have done. Repeatedly. In the end, I had to swallow my pride and ask others how it was played. It seemed that the column could be moved to a slightly more convenient location. Once I figured that out and figured out how to shoot (another awkward conversation I had to have with the other players), it all went away. And it was wonderful. While I started to feel a bit like my grandmother when I handed her an SNES controller and tried to teach her how to play Super Mario Bros - "how do you control the little man?" we both yelled, 25 years apart I quickly hit the ground running, and when it all clicked into the game it was a fantastic experience. Diving, diving, and shooting friends and colleagues was not only a thrilling VR experience, it was also a pretty decent workout. But the fact that I physically move while playing, while watching 3D players that I knew were controlled by other people, added a level of fun and immersion that many traditional games lack.
HTC - VIVE Cosmos Virtual ...