Lack of quality VR content bigger barrier than hardware shortcomings

The lack of quality Virtual Reality (VR) content is a bigger barrier than hardware shortcomings in the adoption of VR, say industry watchers during a panel discussion on VR at a workshop conducted at the Nasscom warehouse.

The VR storyteller guild workshop conducted in partnership with Nasscom is aimed to promote VR by creating a community of VR content creators. The discussion saw the panellists emphasise the need for closer collaboration between VR content developers and hardware manufacturers for VR to see the light of the day.

Tirumalarao Chamalla, President of Electronics & IT Agency, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh who spoke at the panel said, “VR content creators should focus more on creating content catering to specific use cases -on the government and businesses side- which they are not aware of right now”.

He said that instead of creating a simple virtual walkthrough through a museum if developers were able to narrate a story based on themes such as Telangana movement or a Dravidian movement through Virtual reality, there will be more takers for the product. This will create a “pull factor” for their clients, he said.

While many were of the opinion that the market for VR is still very nascent, a few argued the adoption of VR in governance and tourism is a step in the right direction.

Citing the use of VR technology by the government, Chamalla said,“Andhra Pradesh CM, Chandrababu Naidu uses drone cameras, analytics, and VR to monitor multiple irrigation projects across the state,” adding, “if this was not a use case for VR, I can’t think of anything better”. 

In the weeklong workshop, six teams of four members each were formed on spot and were given 72 hours to formulate ideas and create VR demos of products. At the end of the event, these VR ideas were pitched to a five-member judged who critiqued and offered feedback for their work.

One of the teams, Hamari Duniya, presented a demo using puppetry in VR to express the dilemma faced by a girl and her family preparing for their daughter’s early marriage. In this VR experience, the user can make decisions on behalf of the girl’s parents giving them a first-hand experience of the dilemmas faced. 

A second group, It’s Okay To Talk, presented a VR experience which puts the user in the headspace of an anxious young adult experiencing mental health disorder. Most presentations made at the workshop were aimed at helping social workers disseminate knowledge to rural population through VR technology.

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