Real storytelling in a virtual world

It seems Virtual Reality (VR) is now everywhere.

On a daily basis I see countless articles and editorials promising the arrival of the VR and how it will forever change our world. From mobile VR to location based experiences (LBE), many are racing to capitalize on this new technology and the promise that it holds.

And yet each time that I try a VR experience, whether it is on VIVE, Gear VR, Oculus Rift or even StarVR, I am continuously struck by one simple truth;

The effectiveness of the technology is proportional to the craft of the storyteller using it.

VR only really works well when it is coupled with narrative that moves the user from point A to point B by telling them a story. And as long as we continue to live within narrative-based cultures this will never change.

Good technology will never overcome bad storytelling.

Stories are how we understand our world. Be it religious scripture, fairy tales, fables or ghost stories we are a planet full of people who make sense of everything around us through storytelling. It is imprinted on us from our earliest moments.

When we create content, regardless of the technology it will be experienced on, if we do not take the time to develop the journey we wish our audience to take what are we left with? A series of moving pictures without meaning.

At last year's Future of Storytelling (highly recommended by the way!) I had the opportunity to experience a number of different VR games/experiences and even though most were using the same technology, my reaction was as varied as the content. From bored to noxious, frightened to inspired I had a little bit of everything over the two days of workshops and the FOST Fest which followed. The experiences that impinged the most though had the common factor of good narrative seamlessly interwoven within gameplay. It was the ability to connect with others - real people - in a virtual world and experience something collectively.

Our intention then as artists and content creators must be to create meaning in everything that we do. Even within the confines of pure entertainment such as gaming where are the opportunities to inform and educate? Why must entertainment preclude education?

Before becoming a consultant I was one of the privileged few who made a living as a professional actor, writer and director. What I most treasured from that time in my career was that my job was to communicate. That was the pure simplicity of it. I was paid to tell a story using real emotions which in turn would create an impact in the audience. This is the magic of live theatre. An actor onstage has the potential to profoundly affect the people witnessing their performance.

In film in television the process is less straight forward as a great deal of work and manipulation occurs after the performance is recorded and before we as an audience sees it. And frankly, we only see what the director/ editor wants us to see.

In that sense, VR as a tool for entertainment is more like theatre than film as the viewer can look wherever they choose. Depending on the level of interaction a user might choose to stare at the flowers on the wall instead of following the action. We must then craft engaging and believable worlds and then be just as effective at telling a story within that world.

This is what we should be striving for in our VR experiences. Powerful content which has been freed from conventional constraints by technology, imbued with meaning through thoughtful storytelling and which strives to enable us in some way.

The promise of Virtual Reality is real - but not necessarily in the same paradigm reported by the media. We must never forget why we create... To communicate and connect, empower and engage. When we strive for this, humanity shines a little brighter.

Keep telling stories!