NYCC's Best Cosplay: VR Goggles
Normally, to earn a three-hour line at an event like New York Comic-Con, you've got to be Stan Lee or have something involving Star Wars. This year, that honor went to the “Rick and Morty” VR simulation, where users were greeted with an experience that made them, among other things, do laundry. Using the established “Rick and Morty” multiverse, the VR experience immersed viewers in the story of the show and mocked them while doing it. The line, which reached capacity as soon as the show floor opened, ensured that the experience was one of the hottest tickets of the convention.This was the first year that such large-scale VR experiences like this could be brought to NYCC; previous years simply didn’t have the space for it, as one hall had been used for screenings. An agreement with the Hammerstein Ballroom and Madison Square Garden freed this space up for NYCC 2016, leading to media properties and brands utilizing the now available space for a variety of VR experiences.Turner wasn’t the only company that brought a VR experience to the floor – Nickelodeon, Amazon, and HBO came prepared with their own, as well. Tapping into the 90s nostalgia trend they’ve been riding for the past few years, Nickelodeon brought a “Legends Of The Hidden Temple” experience. Located off the main floor in a larger booth by the convention’s entrance, viewers were put into the shoes of contestants on the show and had to avoid temple guards and put together the Shrine of the Silver Monkey.HBO’s experience, a direct Westworld tie in, was the most immersive of the group (though users did need to first consent to experiencing nudity and violence). “Guests” booked trips to Westworld, which took place in an off-site location and was stylized to the show’s aesthetic. HBO tied in the technical element of the show perfectly to what VR offers, matching the story telling with a few theatrical flairs.Amazon’s experience, however, was curious. The “The Man In The High Castle” experience seemed to be intended as a season one recap. The viewer found themselves in the shoes of one of the show’s main characters, reenacting a plot line that will be continued when the second season premieres in December. The show wouldn’t have been my first thought as to a VR experience from an Amazon Original – a combination conducting experience and peyote trip from “Mozart In The Jungle” may have been a more compelling selection – but this worked.The experiences, as varied as they were, worked. They were consistently packed, looked good, and worked to expand the stories told by their shows. If this is how media properties are going to utilize VR as a narrative expansion, I am in full favor of that. I would gladly be yelled at by Rick Sanchez some more while I fumble at the washer. More media brands should be experimenting with VR storytelling in the coming months, whether it is through more professional systems like PlayStation or HTC or Google Cardboard. And as VR becomes more wide-spread, media brands should start thinking of a good experience as the next ad on to a DVD/iTunes subscription. Make something people would pay for. I know I'd book another trip to Westworld.
TV[R]EV is written, curated and incubated by the BRaVe Ventures team. Find TV[R]EV on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on the TV[R]EVOLUTION.
