Base Converter VR
A study investigating the gains and drawbacks of learning mathematics in VR
Base Converter 2.0 builds on the original Base Converter project and is a documentation of its progression from a table top game to a computer desktop game then finally to an embodied interaction game in VR. For the desktop and VR versions, the original game aesthetic was retained and the weaving procedure was coded to allow users to convert any number in base 10 to any other base, effectively fully taking advantage of the space limitlessness made possible in these digital versions.
The VR version of the game gives children the possibility to observe and interact with numbers and abstract arithmetic concepts in an embodied, exploratory way in a 3D space. Further study comparing the mathematics learning experience in the VR version of the game with the learning experience afforded by the physical version of the game is being conducted with five test subjects. Through this study the project aims to inform a novel VR-based embodied interaction model for learning.
Base Converter desktop version
Start page of Base Converter 2.0
Level 1: before player inputs number to be converted and the new base for it
Level selection screen mock-up
Weaving done with left and right keys in the desktop version
Base Converter VR version
Some components had to be redesigned to be functional in VR. This included important considerations like scale - how big should the loom be in relation to the player, and input method - how will the player input their chosen numbers.
Aside from adding these VR functionalities and allowing the player to walk around the space, scene-change buttons were converted to 'teleport' areas set as triggers so that user input is registered by detecting input from the VR controller. Further work needs to be done to make the number input mechanism more seamless.
Within the start scene, players can now move and look around the floating platform
The player is no longer restricted to facing the 'front'. instead they have a 360 view of the scene
The weaving scene is now also VR friendly, allowing players to move around and explore their own woven structure.
They can climb up the rope tower and look at the scene from the top
View of the sky
A unique feature is how the game allows players to view their creation from different angles as though they are inside what they created. Scale plays an important role here.
