I found this old link to an article on BBC about a 3D space built as a way for Bloody Sunday survivors/witnesses in Belfast 30 years ago to remember the events and record their personal histories. What I find particularly interesting is the potential use of this technology for trials to help witnesses recall the events they are testifying about. I’m not sure if something like this would be admissible, but I might help save a lot of innocent people from going to jail. In either case, the Bloody Sunday VR piece might have started this new trend in “reality gaming”, where real-life events are modeled in 3D and made into video games. Some examples I’ve compiled below:
Waco: Resurrection by C-Level
America’s Army
911: Survivor
Escape from Woomera by Select Parks
Titanic: Adventure Out of Time
Kaboom! The Suicide Bomber Game
Under Ash
Special Force
Games such as suicide bomber and 911 survivor are clearly there for shock value to try and get more attention. I still believe 911 survivor could be a hoax as it is so distasteful, where is the entertainment value.
as the bbc site said:
\”Some of the people who have come forward to the inquiry have been emotionally affected by the software. In many respects it has brought back the ghosts of what happened.\”
A 911 simulation could be used to look at the problems with the building, escape routes and systems, but there are too many random factors and peoples actions to take into account.
A 3D reconstruction system would help with certain situations, but imagine putting a VR helmet on a 911 survivor, asking them to try and ecape from the building again so that we can what went wrong. Something I know I wouldn\’t want to have to go through twice.
I tend to agree with you about the shock value of those games, but I guess I\’m confused as to why games are always classified as \”entertainment\”. Sure the roots of games are recreation, but I think with these so called \”reality games\”, gaming has become \”environments\” where there isn\’t necessarily a final result, but rather more of an exploratory experience. I wonder if more of these games based on actual events will be more like you are placed in the space and the events happen all around you and you can\’t do anything but just see things unfold.