Imagine a virtual world where you the creator have complete control where the player literally enters the realm of your imagination and you have direct access to their emotions. Today’s VR headsets stand at intersection of movie like immersion and the compelling interactive agency of games. VR is an empathy machine. Based on the panel’s year of VR development and research it's the emotion that unlocks VR’s unprecedented levels of immersion and presence not nice looking art. This panel is a deep dive into 5 new ways to create stronger emotions in VR. Most people assume that the language of cinema and traditional game tropes port well into VR. However, nothing could be further than the truth.

1. XEODesignCan VR Become More Emotional Than Movies
SxSW 2016 Proposal
July 26, 2015

2. Imagine a virtual world
where you the creator
have complete control
where the player
literally enters the
realm of your
imagination and you
have direct access to
their emotions.
XEODesign®
Can VR Become More Emotional than Movies & Games?

3. Today’s VR headsets
stand at intersection of
movie like immersion
and the compelling
interactive agency of
games. VR is an
empathy machine.
XEODesign®
Can VR Become More Emotional than Movies & Games?

4. XEODesign®
Based on the panel’s
year of VR development
and research it’s emotion
that unlocks VR’s
unprecedented levels of
immersion and presence
not nice looking 3D art.
Can VR Become More Emotional than Movies & Games?

5. XEODesign®
Most people assume that
the language of cinema
and traditional game
tropes port well into VR.
However, nothing could
be further than the truth.
Can VR Become More Emotional than Movies & Games?

6. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Nicole Lazzaro
Expert on Games and Engagement
Fun & Emotion
Consultant
• Game Design
• Psychology of Emotion
• Programmer/Filmmaker
• Design Innovation
• Analyst
Making Games Fun
@NicoleLazzaro

7. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Leading Expert on Emotion and Play
Nicole Lazzaro is a world-renowned game developer who
pioneered measuring emotions on players faces as they play. She
helps clients put the 4 Keys to Fun into everything that they do. Her
company XEODesign unlocks human potential through play.
Voted by Gamasutra as one of the Top 20 women working in video
games, and Fast Company as one of the 100 most influential
women in technology Nicole is frequently cited by Wired, Fast
Company, ABC News, CNET, Venturebeat, The Hollywood
Reporter, and Red Herring, XEODesign's clients include Sony, EA,
Ubisoft, Sega, PlayFirst, Disney, D.I.C.E, Leap Frog, and Maxis.
She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Stanford
University where she also studied filmmaking and computer
programming.
Accomplishments
● Discovered the 4 Keys to Fun how games create
engagement with emotions (used by 100,000's leading
developers world wide)
● Designed the first iPhone game (250,000 downloads on
release, over 1 Million since then)
● Created Tilt World an iOS game to plant 1 million trees in
Madagascar (16,000 trees planted so far)
● Track record of game designs that increase engagement
and monetization double the industry average
Nicole Lazzaro
Expert on Games and Engagement
Making Games Fun
@NicoleLazzaro

8. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Follow the White Rabbit
Preview
Pocket Gamer Interview with Game Developer Nicole Lazzaro
http://bit.ly/1HFnOyx
“I'm not exactly skeptical when it
comes to virtual reality, but I rarely see
truly impressive games when someone
straps a pair of magic googles to my
face.
XEODesign's Follow the White Rabbit
definitely gave me a "wow" moment,
through painterly and surreal design,
and a simple but elegant solution to
interacting with objects in the
environment.”
~ Peter Willington, Pocket Gamer
Emotion and VR

9. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
“As someone who’s worked on
games from Myst, the Sims, and
Diner Dash I’ve always focused on
meeting mass market needs. This
includes women.
In my chapter ‘Are Boy Games Even
Necessary’ I outlined the economic
opportunity for gender inclusive
games for the book Barbie vs. Mortal
Combat . Diversity is profitable”
Diversity Perspectiv
Nicole Lazzaro
CEO XEODesign, Inc.

10. http://challengepost.com/software/follow-the-white-rabbit

11. LUX: a game about forgivenessXEODesign®

12. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved

13. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The 4 Keys to FunXEODesign’s predictive actionable groundbreaking model on what makes games fun, carefully
dissected players favorite moments to unlock the secret of how games create engagement.
Putting Emotion into Play
The 4 Keys allows interaction designers the ability
to target specific emotions in players and keep
them playing. This increases retention,
engagement, and social sharing,
Leading Model for Gamification
The 4 Keys is a proven predictive model for how
player action crates what’s fun about games.
100,000 Downloads
Leading developers around the world have
downloaded the 4 Keys. It part of virtually every
game design curriculum.
How Games Create Engagement
Captures the essence of how games use emotion
from action to increase user engagement. “Every designer should learn
to read this language.”
Will Wright, Creator of The Sims
Free download 4K2F.com

14. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
“Giant Spacekat is moving away from
game mechanics about violence, and
is going all in on "emotional
mechanics." The idea is, achieving
your goals isn't done with a gun - but
rather through diplomacy and
understanding the people around you
on an emotional level. With the
expansion of the game market, I think
it's time to ask ourselves what our
new audience is really looking for.”
Brianna Wu
Development Director Giant Spacekat
Emotion and VR

15. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
“So when PC Gamer has a very
important public event and they
announce that 28 out of 28
speakers are going to be white
men this sends a signal to
gamers that this is a space for
men and not women.”
Brianna Wu
Development Director Giant Spacekat
Diversity Perspective
http://www.themarysue.com/w
u-inspirefest-games-industry/

16. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Crossover a virtual reality grief ritual
experience exploring loss and love.
Emotion and VR
Kent Bye
Producer Voices of VR Podcast
http://vrjam.challeng
epost.com/submissi
ons/36936-
crossover-multi-
threaded-
immersive-theater-
experience
Press for Crossover:
Virtual reality emerges as narrative art form, and an
outlet for a Portland man's grief
Grief is no game, but one developer used virtual reality
to defeat it.
Best of Portland Award for Best Virtual Therapy

17. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
“Kent has interviewed over 200
developers & academics about VR,
and he is also a survivor two
suicides. Death by suicide is a
somewhat taboo topic to either talk
about or make art about. He brings
a unique perspective in that he's
using immersive technologies in
order to help process his emotions
and traumatic experiences.” Kent Bye
Producer Voices of VR Podcast
Diversity Perspective

18. The Magic Circle Has Always Been VirtualXEODesign®

19. Q1. What is the emerging language of VR to
increase emotion and tell stories?
How exactly does VR trigger emotions to
increase immersion and presence?
XEODesign®

20. Q2. What are the ethical challenges of making
games in VR? If you made Diablo in VR would it
damage a player’s ability to feel empathy?
XEODesign®

21. Q3. What specific emotions does VR create?
What are 5 ways to trigger them?
How close are we to creating the emotions of
the holodeck?
XEODesign®

22. See you in Austin!
XEODesign®

23. XEODesign© 2015 XEODesign, Inc. All Rights Reserved
@NicoleLazzaro
Nlazz@xeodesign.com
XEODesign.com
WTF
?
Free Download
4K2F.comTilt World
http://challengepost.com/software/follow-the-white-rabbit
Follow the White Rabbit
*
* Where’s the fun?