The 4th Annual VRTO Virtual & Augmented Reality World Conference & Expo
■Michelle Mak
The 4th annual VRTO - Virtual & Augmented Reality World Conference & Expo (VRTO) wrapped up earlier in June in Toronto. The event brought together provocateurs, digital media harbingers, inventors, developers, and best-selling authors to examine the future of culture, society, humanity, and how we can collectively work together, and leverage immersive technologies for the betterment of ourselves and the world we live in. Leaders from Intel Studios, Ubisoft, Entertainment One, The Venture Reality Fund, CTRL-Labs, Globacore, Cream 360, Occupied VR, Dark Slope Studios and many more descended upon the city to explore the current state of the industry and discuss where we go from here.

Human Connection & Community
Often mistaken as a solitary and isolating endeavor, VR is a tool that has the ability to draw a community together. Virtual Reality provides users a sandbox or playground that is completely unique to the medium. With over three million downloads and 3.2k Twitch viewers, VRChat has become one of the most successful Virtual Reality apps. Spatialized media is redefining how we are able to communicate and connect with one another. Syrmor Shiraz - who calls Toronto home - is an embedded journalist in VRChat and unearths intimate, personal stories from users across the globe. His engaging videos have earned him a following of over half a million subscribers on YouTube. “A lot of your physical identity is stripped away and a purer version of yourself comes forward,” Shiraz says. He discussed how a boy who was unable to go outside because of a debilitating disease found solace in this virtual community. Shiraz was joined at VRTO by DJ Soto, a Christian pastor, who recently performed a baptism in VRChat before making international headlines. Looking to reach those who are excluded from real-world congregations, Soto’s virtual outreach has lead him to members of the community who have been forgotten or physically unable to attend a service.

“Syrmor’s Gonzo Journalism in SocialVR” at VRTO
Virtual Reality isn’t just the domain of the fringe online communities, Voices of VR host and VRTO keynote speaker Kent Bye - who has conducted over 1100 interviews around the topic - spoke with Malicki-Sanchez about how companies are developing immersive experiences that will enhance public entertainment in extraordinary new ways. “Disney Imagineers have been collaborating with immersive theater creators and world-leading live action role players for their new Galaxy's Edge experience," said Bye. From theme parks to competitive gaming, Virtual Reality will inject new opportunities into a variety of entertainment industries. The proliferation of eSports has produced a dedicated community of players and spectators. This year’s VRTO featured a panel discussion that explored how VR will become a gladiator in the eSports arena - a billion dollar industry that saw 26% growth in 2019. “Rhythm Games should not be underestimated. We’re seeing lots of YouTube influencers and personalities who play Beat Saber on Twitch,” said Jakyo Manor, an eSports consultant and tournament organizer. “Spectatorship is important in eSports. Virtual Reality would allow fans to experience and interact with the players on a whole new level, this is where the opportunity truly lies for VR in the industry,” Manor added. Blake J. Harris, author of The History of the Future, spoke about how Facebook believes they have conquered the gaming industry, “but they have not successfully planted the flag that they think they have”. Harris went on to discuss how in the early days of Facebook the platform solidified a strong user-base with the campus community before going mainstream, but the gamers and developers have been overlooked on the current journey. He echoed sentiments from former Oculus VR engineer Alexandra Howland who said, “Facebook doesn’t understand the market they bought into.” The social media juggernaut - who has invested more into VR than anyone else--will have to reconcile with the gamers and indie developers in order to re-create their earlier successes.

Creating For Consumers
While Virtual Reality has demonstrated its success in the enterprise market with impressive results - Walmart, Fidelity, UPS, DHL & more are training millions in VR - the industry has been waiting for consumers to become converts of the medium. With 4.2 million PSVR units sold and 4 million high-end PC VR headsets in the hands of users, Virtual Reality is no longer just flirting with consumers. Tipatat Chennavasin, co-founder of The Venture Reality Fund, sees the launch of Facebook’s latest headset, Oculus Quest as an inflection point for the increase of the at-home user. Games like the indie-darling Beat Saber - which made $20 million in a year - proves that consumers are hungry for VR. As arcades continue to expand across the globe and provide distribution channels for the medium, the question is how do you get customers to return once the “gimmick” of VR has worn off?

Laura Mingail, Senior Director, Strategy & Business Development at Secret Location - an Entertainment One company states, "The most successful experiences are ones that are developed with the range of location-based entertainment consumers in mind. Consumers will not pay to play a game simply because it's VR. They will pay for an experience if it has an IP or story with mass appeal that they want to step into. But story alone won't make a hit. It needs to be virtually intuitive to play, and it needs to have a reason for people to want to play it over and over again." Nintendo, Star Wars, Terminator have all found success as VR content pieces. And Jurassic World VR became Dave & Buster’s biggest launch in the company’s history! VRTO's slogan is "Let's Get Real" and Toronto's "little-conference-that-could" continues to win international audiences with its hard-hitting approach for the betterment of this emerging and powerful new medium.

※The article is published in the GTI Magazine Issue No. 179 in September 2019