In Passage Home VR, players use body language as a means of expression to navigate a racially-charged encounter.
Players are put into the role of a high-achieving African American student who is falsely accused of plagiarism.
The system was implemented for use with mobile devices and low cost HMDs.
Project Overview
Description
Passage Home VR is an interactive virtual reality narrative that puts players in the role of an African American high school student falsely accused of plagiarism. The experience uses body language as an innovative interaction mechanic, allowing players to physically express themselves while navigating a racially-charged encounter with a teacher.
Built for mobile devices and low-cost head-mounted displays, the system features a novel computational model of racial and ethnic socialization (RES) theory that creates meaningful, identity-aware virtual storytelling experiences.
Research Contributions
- How players' racial/ethnic backgrounds influence VR experience and emotional response
- Computational model for meaningful race representation in virtual worlds
- Body language as an interaction mechanic for social VR narratives
- Evidence-based system grounded in social science research on racial coping
My Contributions
- Led research and development of the VR narrative system at MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality
- Designed the computational model of racial/ethnic socialization (RES) theory
- Implemented body language mechanics for VR interaction
- Conducted user studies with PreK-12 educators and youth
- Published findings at FDG 2020 and AAAI 2019 Spring Symposium
More Information
- FDG 2020, Games Beyond Entertainment Track: “I Don’t See Color”: Characterizing Players’ Racial Attitudes and Experiences via an Anti-Bias Simulation Videogame
- AAAI 2019 Spring Symposium, Story-Enabled Intelligence Track: Modeling Racial and Ethnic Socialization for Interactive Storytelling
- Featured by MIT News: