LevelEd SR: A Substitutional Reality Level Design Workflow

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have continued to increase in popularity over the past decade. However, there are still issues with how much space is required for room-scale VR and experiences are still lacking from haptic feedback. We present LevelEd SR, a substitutional reality level design workflow that combines AR and VR systems and is built for consumer devices. The system enables passive haptics through the inclusion of physical objects from within a space into a virtual world. A validation study (17 participants) has produced quantitative data that suggests players benefit from passive haptics in entertainment VR games with an improved game experience and increased levels of presence. Including objects, such as real-world furniture that is paired with a digital proxy in the virtual world, also opens up more spaces to be used for room-scale VR. We evaluated the workflow and found that participants were accepting of the system, rating it positively using the System Usability Scale questionnaire and would want to use it again to experience substitutional reality.