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I had done some experiments with their SSML, expressive SSML, and Voice Transformation SSML in 2017. It was an interesting way to change, almost like coding the voice in order to make it more human-like. Went back to IBM Watch Text to Speech demo today: https://www.ibm.com/demos/live/tts-demo/self-service/home, and found out it works differently now.

“Hurry up! Pick up the sword and defend yourself, your arrival has awakened the spores. It’s not a good thing.”

“Greetings, my name is Luke, the voice that you’re hearing right now is not my real voice. It is a result of my telepathic thoughts being synthesized by your auditory cortex. It could take form of any voices you have heard before.”

“incoming”

Tokusatsu nerds of my generation probably all mesmerized by Space Sheriff Gavan (宇宙刑事ギャバン)’s Laser Blade when the show aired in 1982, especially when he powers it up before attack. The latest Laser Blade toy by Tamashii Lab was able to bring the powering up experience to live. How do I bring this experience into VR in an embodied way? How does a real-life artifact come to live in the virtual world? This is my attempt. Here are some other inspirations that I would like to incorporate in this experiment:

Saint Seiya Omega – Mars
Lady of the Lake gives Excalibur to King Arthur
ALT.CTRL
Berserker – The Dragon Slayer
Characters by Michael Shillingburg
This feel (pastel low poly)
Low poly swamp and wetland:
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/low-poly-modular-terrain-pack-91558
Table Eleven Paddle:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4623428
Shaman King

The artifact is the halt of the sword. When it is activated in VR, the galaxy blade will emerged on the virtual halt. The player can power up the blade with cosmic flares (or soul fire) for bigger attacks. I need to build a (bulky) halt that hosts both the touch controller, M5Stack, and the distance sensor unit. I gathered some 3D models from Thingverse including the Table Eleven paddle and a 3D scan of the left touch controller. I had to demesh the paddle before importing it to Tinkercad. I studied the paddle and decided to make my own. After some trial and error, I made a head piece that slide into the ring of the touch controller smoothly. I then built the whole halt from there.

I had a very vague image in my head of what the sword would look like. The alt controller is the artifact, a physical medium, that brings the virtual sword to the player. It has to be oversize, galaxy like, and burning with some sort of cosmic flares (or soul fire). After some tinkering in Unity, this is what I came up with:

The player can ignite the soul fire by putting one’s hand right in front of the distance sensor unit after certain time and increase the fire coverage on the blade by moving one’s hand away from the sensor. The player will be given a quick hands-on tutorial when the soul fire is awaken in the play experience. Testing video on Instagram was pick up by M5Stack, what a lovely surprise!

When I was living near the school around 2008, there was a cute German couple living in the same building. They look like they are in their 70s. I often ran into them when they are doing their grocery shopping in the late afternoon. They talk very loud as if they were arguing but when they split to do different things they always give each other a kiss on the cheek. From our elevator conversations, I found out the husband was teaching photography at Parsons for many years, and they escaped to the US in 1950s as a result of wars in Europe. I have heard The New School helped many artists and designers escape and offered them shelters and jobs. I was very honor to meet two of them!

I sometime walked a few blocks with them just to hear more stories. One day, when the wife found out that I am making games, she let me know that she won her battle against cancer earlier because of video games. When she was sick, she had to go to hospital to have chemotherapies. It always felt awful both physically and mentally after the treatment. Luckily, she found out a store across her hospital had a few arcade cabinets. It has become a routine of hers to go right into the store and play arcade games after every hospital visit. She said those games make her happy and stop the awful feelings from spreading. When her cancer was cured, she had thought that the video games are the unsound heroes of her victory.

Antibody

Imagine a future where medical treatments can be executed remotely in the form of immersive video games. 

This idea was inspired by my friend, Grace, a German grandma who lives in my apartment building. She is a proud cancer survivor and she has convinced me that playing Space Invader for 15 minutes after every hospital visit was the key to  curing her cancer. I have read several similar stories like this one in which patients dreamed about fighting against monstrous enemies in a video game and woke up fully recovered from their illness. I am intrigued by the prospect of immersive technology transforming these miracles into a universally practical cure. 

Antibody is my speculative scenario situated in a near future with advancement in neuroscience and nanotechnology. The medical facilities are capable of sending skilled gamers into infection zones as antibodies and helping white cells build up immunity. These gamers are equipped with various experimental nano-weapons that enable them to behave differently in the field. In this quick mission for beginners, a broadsword nano-weapon is available for action.

To enhance the level of immersion, a specialized controller is available for gamers to replace the standard controllers that come with their VR headset. These specialized controllers, a.k.a data relics, usually resemble the look and feel of the nano-weapons in the virtual world. They are capable of harvesting kinetic energy and associated data in the real world to aid the medical facilities in improving the technology and training better antibody agents. Experienced gamers customize their personal data relic to access advanced game mechanics. In this submission, the simulation is designed for a standard VR controller, no data relic is required.   

As a playful experience designer, I believe video games may contribute more to the world without compromising the fun. This is my attempt at envisioning a post-pandemic future with virtual gaming for social good and I hope you enjoy it. 
PCVR and Standalone VR ONLY

Kyle Li is a playful experience designer working and living in New York City. Experimental by nature, his body of work wraps around playful experiences manifested by interconnected physical and digital components.  He has done a wide range of works from concert stage visual to airline cockpit data visualization to the award-winning game-and-learning installations at middle-schools in both NYC and Chicago.

Stage 1: Spores
Spores detects the player based on proximity.

Stage 2: Virus infected lukes
Virus infected lukes behaves like zombie but they are curable. They will walk towards to the player and attack. The player has the ability to see the infected points on a luke’s body, breaks all the points on a luke with Galaxcalibur will cure it. Cured lukes will join the the group of lukes that is following the player.

Stage 2.5: Free imprisoned lukes
The player points the Galaxcalibur at the lock to activate the unlock sequence. Follow the rotating sequence by rotating the sword.

Stage 3: Boss Fight
No idea, it has to be huge, and lukes are going to help.

Alt Controller: Galaxcalibur
M5Stack will collect “Energy” based on Galaxcalibur’s movement, which effects the pulse of the vibration. When energy reaches a threshold. The player can use a devastated attack and this activated by putting player’s hand in front of the ToF sensor.