CREATIONS RESEARCH DOCUMENTATION P R O J E C T S H O O T! Project SHOOT! was created by six students of the HKU and one PSAU student

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1 Project SHOOT! was created by six students of the HKU and one PSAU student RESEARCH DOCUMENTATION P R O J E C T S H O O T! STUNN NG CREATIONS Rick van den Bergh Thijs Brandsma Joost van Ginneke Joeri Levèfre Djégo Ibanez Aaron Oostdijk Paul Reijnierse

2 CONTENTS The research and forming of the concept... 3 Introduction... 3 The research approach The target group Target group Results questionnaire before slaughtering Results of observation during slaughtering and the afterwards questionnaire Research into the subject The legislation Interview with an experienced emergency slaughterer Research into the application format Immersion and presence Learning and immersion Emotion across media Emotion in educational purposes Virtual reality simulations The forming of the concept The actual concept Step one and two. The introduction by telephone Step three, four and five. Arrival on location and collecting the tools Step six. Isolating the wounded animal Step seven and eight. Combining a stick with a rope and catching the animal Step nine. Pulling the cow towards the gate

3 5.6 Steps ten and eleven. Fixating and actually stunning the animal Step twelve. Getting the knife and exsanguinating Technical research Engines Input/output devices Controllers The deliverable The virtual reality installation The Handbook Documentation of Sourcemod Conclusion Literature Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E

4 THE RESEARCH AND FORMING OF THE CONCEPT An extensive report on the research results that have led to the final concept INTRODUCTION This research document is accompanied with the actual result of six months of hard work; a working prototype of a virtual reality simulation for emergency slaughtering. Without ever having worked together our team, which came to be known as Stunning Creations, was offered a challenge of which the simulation is the result. The team consisting of three HKU student interaction designers, three HKU student game-designers and one UU researcher, were joined to fulfill an assignment given by the faculty of veterinary medicine as a part of their masters trajectory. The challenge given was formulated by the faculty of veterinary medicine as: Develop a reality/simulation Game, in which the circumstances concerning an emergency slaughter are the main theme and the actual shooting is of secondary importance. With this assignment given to us we started our journey towards the completion of a satisfactory end product. In order to reach this satisfactory end product, it had to be founded on a solid research into the subject of the assignment, the target group and the practical and theoretical aspects of the possible application formats. This report is the documentation of the research done as a foundation for our end product. 3

5 THE RESEARCH APPROACH As the assignment stated that we were to make a game or simulation on the subject of emergency slaughter, we chose an approach to the research that would cover all the elements that would be important to come up with a good end product. Basically our research has been explorative of nature; our main goal was to get a good insight in the subject and possibilities to form a solid and factual basis for the product. First of all we had to get a clear view of the target group, their needs and experience with the subject. Secondly we had to get a really good knowledge on the actual subject of emergency slaughter, the legislation on the subject as well as the practical side. Thirdly we had to look into the format that we were going to use, existing games and simulations used for learning purposes had to be examined thoroughly to get to the best way of using the format according to the assignment. As the emotional aspects of an emergency slaughter situation were an important part of the experience, we needed to examine the possibilities of implementing emotions in games and or simulations. Once we got a good insight in the reality behind an emergency slaughter and the possibilities and limitations of different application formats, we formed our idea on what form the end result should have. Based on the concept we did further technical research on the different elements of which a virtual reality application consists. 4

6 1. THE TARGET GROUP 1.1 TARGET GROUP This game or simulation is to be made for students of the faculty of veterinary medicine. In their fifth year of study all students of the faculty of veterinary have to take part in a course in which they have to stun and bleed an animal to death. A slaughtering method generally used with killing animals for consumption purposes. Due to new legislation on the subject of the transport of ill and wounded animals, all students have to be able to perform an emergency slaughter when they become veterinarians. The obligatory course in which the students have to kill an animal does not contain the experience of an actual emergency slaughter. In a professionally equipped slaughterhouse the students have to perform the stunning and bleeding to death of a cow or bull. This differs from an emergency slaughter situation. In the slaughterhouse the animals are fixated by a steal cage which makes it easier to place and shoot the captive bolt gun, when bleeding the animal it gets hung upside down which makes it easier to place the knife. Other than these factors they get help from the people who work in the slaughter house. To get a good insight into the target group s experience with emergency slaughters, their knowledge on the subject and their needs, we conducted a research on the groups of students who were taking part in the specific course. By means of a questionnaire the following information was gathered. The students who would be using our game or simulation are all in their fifth year of the study Veterinarian medicine but are from different specializations. The faculty of veterinary medicine offers six different study paths of which all students have to take part in the course on the slaughtering of animals. The actual stunning and bleeding to death of an animal is the most essential part of the emergency slaughter process. The students in our target group all have to perform this action. In order to observe the target group while performing the slaughtering process we joined a group of students during their visit to the slaughterhouse. Cameras were brought to film the actions performed and the eventual emotional reactions during the performed actions. Other than that the students were given a questionnaire before their visit to the slaughter house and a questionnaire after their visit. The questions in the first questionnaire focus on their background, experience with emergency slaughter and their expectations and fears concerning killing an animal. The second questionnaire focuses on the actual experience and the emotion felt during different stages of the slaughtering process. Both the observation and questionnaires had the goal to find out what emotions occur and where in the process they occur. The questionnaires can be found in appendix A, a summary of the results will be presented here. 5

7 1.2 RESULTS QUESTIONNAIRE BEFORE SLAUGHTERING Most of the students who filled in the questionnaire, are studying the differentiation gezelschapdieren. These students generally have had much to regular contact with animals, from house animals at home, to family or acquaintances that are active in the agrarian sector. There was however just one person that had done an emergency killing before. The students generally see the obligatory part of their studies involving the stunning and exsanguinating of an animal as very useful, they understand that this process may be part of their future profession, though nobody enjoys the killing of an animal all students see the need for having experience in these practices. Though it is clear that none of the students is eager to perform a slaughter, they do have specific thoughts on which circumstances will make the process easier or more difficult. The results show that the majority of the students find that a horse would be the most difficult animal to slaughter; this is based on various reasons such as the emotional attachment and status of the animal as well as the practical side of the animal being large and fairly tall, thus making it more difficult to stun. All students find it easier to actually kill an animal if it is suffering from pain than just for consumption purposes. Though on the other hand the students also are aware of the human attitude towards meat consumption and therefore understand the killing for consumption purposes. In both cases students find it important that the applied killing -method will end the animals suffering, and will cause as little suffering as possible during the process. On the question how the students feel about killing an animal for consumption purposes, various answers were given. Some see the process just as something that has to be done while others are more involved with the animal because of compassion with the animal. Though, like mentioned before all students see the need and inevitability of the process. When focusing on actual process and the possible fears during this process most students expressed that the fear lies with the shooting part. Because the actual stunning is the part of the process where one actually takes the life of an animal, and because the students are aware of the suffering an animal will experience when not shot correctly. Any assistance or help during the process was generally wanted on the practical side of the process; the students claimed that they would be able to manage the emotional aspects of the slaughtering themselves. 6

8 1.3 RESULTS OF OBSERVATION DURING SLAUGHTERING AND THE AFTERWARDS QUESTIONNAIRE From our observations during the student s visit to the slaughterhouse and the afterwards questionnaire we could see which parts of the process had the greatest impact on the students. When entering the slaughterhouse it was clear that most of the students were very focused on the task that lay ahead. According to the questionnaire some students actually felt a kind of excitement. The actual stunning and exsanguinating of the animal was performed by all the students involved and with success. Based on observation all of the students were very focused on their task and therefore sometimes even forget small details such as loading the captive bolt gun. During the whole process the students were well assisted by the slaughterers. During the exsanguinating of the animal some students where slightly shocked by the movements made by the animal while entering the knife. This in one occasion resulted in the student trying to finish the job quickly; the slaughterer assisted the student in cutting the proper way. According to the questionnaire the students found the stunning part the most difficult, because this was the part where they would kill the animal and if not shot right cause a lot of suffering. The exsanguinating of the animal was less difficult for them due to the fact that the animal could no longer feel any pain and the students are relatively used to blood and making incisions in flesh. On the emotional level al students answered the questionnaire rating their feeling during the separate parts of the process; all these results were quite mild. The highest fear was felt during the shooting and in some cases loathing during the exsanguinating. The students commented that they were so focused on the task that they did not have time for the emotional aspects. They also claimed that due their concentration they were not interfered by their surroundings. On the question how the students look towards a virtual reality simulation of an emergency slaughtering situation all students were positive on the educational aspect of a simulation but were skeptical on the implementation of emotions in such a simulation, this for the reasons that they didn t think it would be possible or didn t see the need for it. These results will play a part in further development of the concept. Though we are aware that the questions asked might not portray the actual state of the participants. The emotional aspects that might have occurred may have been more intense than the students wanted to show. Other than that, in further use of the results we acknowledge the fact that these results are based on a slaughtering process in a completely controlled environment and with assistance. An emergency slaughtering may create a much more complex situation in which the students won t be assisted. 7

9 2. RESEARCH INTO THE SUBJECT 2.1 THE LEGISLATION The reason veterinary students have to be schooled to perform an emergency slaughter is a recent change in the legislation on the transport of weak or ill cattle. Taken from the official document on the new legislation the following definitions of terms are used 1. These terms will be used throughout this document as well: Weak cattle: Cattle which is considered more than lightly ill or wounded. In this case transportation of the living animal to the slaughter house is prohibited if this will lead to unnecessary suffering or bad treatment of the animal. Stunning: Applying a method on an animal which will lead to immediate unconsciousness which will last until the death of the animal. Killing: Applying a method on an animal which will result in the death of the animal. To slaughter: Killing an animal by bleeding it to death Exsanguinating: the cutting of at least one of the neck lying veins or the blood vessels in which they originate, resulting in the animal s death. As from the beginning of 2007 new regulations have been formed around the transport of weak or ill cattle. These regulations have been formed by the EU in order to minimize the suffering of animals. From this point weak or ill cattle should no longer be moved around or transported. Therefore it should also if necessary be killed at the spot. This new legislation results in a new situation for veterinarians. It used to be possible, that if an animal was wounded or ill but still to be used for consumption purposes, it would be transported to a slaughterhouse, and there the animal would be slaughtered by an experienced slaughter. Due to the change in legislation the wounded or disabled animal can now no longer be transported to the slaughterhouse, and therefore should be killed at the location it is in. This comes down to the fact that the veterinarian is the one who has to kill the animal. If still possible the owner of the animal usually wants the animal to be slaughtered for consumption, this because of the financial value the animal has when used for consumption purposes. If the animal is to be euthanized, it can no longer be used for consumption purposes due to the amount of anesthesia in the animal s body. 1 Stams, G.M.J.P. Praktische Handleiding Toegepaste Vleeshygiene. Utrecht, Faculteit der Diergeneeskunde,

10 The slaughtering process is a different one from euthanization. The slaughtering process involves the animal s stunning and exsanguinating. The legislation offers a number of appropriate methods of slaughtering. The one most frequently used and relevant to our assignment is the stunning of the animal with a captive bolt gun, which penetrates the animal s skull making it unconscious. The legislation states that after the stunning of the animal, one should commence with exsanguinating the animal within fifteen seconds. 2.2 INTERVIEW WITH AN EXPERIENCED EMERGENCY SLAUGHTERER. In order to know what the focus group needs to learn and in which way education should be brought, a clear view of what actually happens during an emergency slaughter was needed. True insight in the process didn t really come from the legislation, though the legislation has described the way it should be done, the reality would be a lot different, and for this we visited a slaughter house and came to speak with the owner Theo Bartens who has been performing emergency slaughters for the last 25 years. As our goal with this project was to prepare students for the reality, we thought the best advice or insight had to come from the reality as well. Theo Bartens used to perform emergency slaughters, but partly due to the new legislation he now runs a professional slaughterhouse where he receives veterinarian students every two weeks, as an obligatory part of their study these students have to stun and bleed an animal to death. As a person who had been performing emergency slaughters for a good part of his life, as well as having seen our target group in their first encounter with slaughtering an animal, he has been a great source of insight. We set up an interview in which we wanted to find out what kind of problems can arise at an emergency slaughter, if there were any specific methods or protocols that had to be followed. The interview gave good insight at what really happens and could happen at an emergency slaughter. The situations that can occur when performing an emergency slaughter are numerous and vary in extremes, the stories of extreme situations vividly showed the possible dangers involved with handling wounded animals. For instance it might well be that an animal that is wounded gets in distress quickly and then becomes a danger to anything and anyone in sight. Theo also uttered his concerns about the students that would visit his slaughterhouse and were to be able to stun and bleed animals in the future. He spoke about the dangers involved and basically the experience on working with animals in distress, he himself says is able to tell whether an animal is going mad or not, but that insight he claims has been a result of his experience and is something that can only be developed by experience. As he clearly didn t have too much faith in the capabilities of the students when encountering a raging bull, we asked him if he could distillate a safe process or method in which it would still be possible for the student to stun and bleed the animal without any dangerous situations for the student. According to him the situations in which an emergency slaughter takes place can be different; there are off course the different types of animals with all different approaches to slaughtering. Though sheep and pigs occasionally have to be 9

11 slaughtered, horses and cows are the most common animals to be slaughtered. The most common setting would be a cow at a farm with a broken limb. Though Theo himself considers himself as not afraid he based his action on his experience. This experience tells him when it is safe to approach an animal in distress and the placement and executioning of the stunning are so well trained that he even stunned a raging bull by hiding in the bushes and jumping out of them when the raging bull would pass and immediately placing the captive bolt gun on the right place. It is clear that these events are rare and the method can only evolve through experience and knowing your limitations, as well as not being afraid of the animal. For students and this is what Theo encountered, fear for the animal takes a great part in their approach. The fact that 80 percent of veterinarian students are female and study veterinary medicine to cure animals rather than to slaughter them makes them approach the animal differently and with less certainty. So we asked Theo if he could describe a method which would work and guarantee the safety of the students. He focused on the good precautions and attributes that would lead to a good result. The veterinarian should be the one who has control over the situation, it can happen that the owner of the animal doesn t feel like helping or is in panic himself; in this case it has to be the veterinarian who manages the situation. This will happen if the veterinarian is well prepared, which means having the right attributes. The attributes a veterinarian should bring with him are the captive bolt gun, plenty of rounds, a sharp knife and ropes in order to fixate the animal. Usually a farmer or owner should have a rope but it is wise to have the veterinarian bring one as well. If there would be a fairly safe process or method to slaughtering an animal at the location it would be first of all to isolate the animal that has to be stunned. If we re talking about an injured or disabled bull or cow that is in a stable with other animals there s usually a tense atmosphere, and if one tries to stun the cow or bull with the other animals surrounding it might turn into chaos and create hazardous situations for both the other animals but especially for the veterinarian. After isolating the animal, Theo suggested that one shouldn t just walk into the stable, even though he usually would he emphasized on the fact that a cow or bull in distress gets tenser when unknown people approach him. For this reason he suggested that one should use a rope, which when tied around the horns would make it possible to get the animal close to the gate of the stable. Having the animal fixated would make it safe and easier to place the captive bolt gun and stun the animal. He emphasized on the importance of fixating the animal s head in order to place the captive bolt gun on the right position of the head. After the stunning it would be safe to enter the stable and use the knife to bleed the animal to death. At this stage it is very important from which side the veterinarian will approach the animal for the bleeding. When an animal is stunned his muscles will still react on an incision, it is common that the animal will kick his feet when the knife goes into the body, therefore one must position himself behind the head of the animal. When standing behind the head and back of the animal the veterinarian will not run the risk of getting kicked. 10

12 On the subject of emotional complications, Theo Bartens himself said that he didn t have any problems on the emotional field though it could sometimes be difficult to handle with the owners involved. Usually when it concerns a cow or a bull the owners are quite sober, the animals are their source of income. It can get more difficult in the case of horses, horses are usually kept for recreation purposes and the owners are sometimes very attached to the animal, which makes for a delicate situation when an emergency slaughter has to be performed. In general the veterinarian should be the one who is calm and knows what to do and when. According to Theo Bartens most of the students he receives show a lot of uncertainty and anxiety when performing the slaughter. As a slaughterer he sometimes receives cattle that have been stunned more than once due to misplacing the captive bolt gun. He thinks that many veterinarians and future veterinarians miss the experience or training to properly perform an emergency slaughter, thus creating more animal suffering and potential danger for the veterinarians. Because of this he was more than willing to help create a proper training solution. The complete interview and results can be found in appendix A. 2.3 Jan Bronkhorst During the interview held with Theo Bartens, he himself suggested to visit a client and friend of his. Jan Bronkhorst is a farmer who has been breeding cows and bulls for consumption purposes for more than 30 years. In order to get a good view of the actual animals, different types of stables and situations he was willing to show and demonstrate possible settings. The location was a specific farm as they can be found throughout the Netherlands. Cameras were used to capture the different types of stables and environment as well as the different types of cows and bulls and their reactions. Throughout the visit questions were asked about Jan Bronkhorst s experience with emergency slaughters. It became clear that he had witnessed and actually performed many of them throughout his career. He as well confirmed the warning that Theo Bartens posed, the danger involved when working with distressed animals. Factors that induce stress with an animal where according to Jan Bronkhorst, The stable situation in which there are usually three blind walls and one gate, the abundance of hay and excrement on the floor of the stable in combination with the limited possibility of escaping the stable, makes it a dangerous place to enter when a cow or bull is disabled and therefore in stress. He had multiple stories of cows or bulls gone mad when having a broken limb and being approached by a stranger, which a veterinarian is in such case. He made clear that even with two broken limbs a bull or cow is still able to run around and create damage. Another thing he talked about was the experience of new veterinarians who would visit him in case of an emergency slaughter, to him it was clear they had usually very little experience and that he was the one who had to guide the whole process. The lack of confidence in handling with these animals and following a safe procedure made him the one who was in charge. He said that he himself had plenty of experience with the emergency slaughters and 11

13 had plenty of awareness of the potential dangers working with such animals. He was willing to assist these young veterinarians but he also mentioned the fact that he might be an exception to the rule, his willingness to help during an emergency slaughter might not be the case in other situations. Here Theo Bartens also mentioned that he had been in many situations where the owner would be unwilling to help resulting in a situation where he had to perform the emergency slaughter on his own. Based on the possibility that one might have to perform the emergency slaughter alone, the question was posed if there was a particular protocol to follow in which the veterinarian was able to perform the emergency slaughter on his own while staying safe. Jan Bronkhorst explained the most common situation and the way he would approach the situation. Like Theo Bartens, he stressed the fact that the disabled animal should be isolated from other animals. He would usually take the other animals out of the stable and place them in another stable out of sight of the wounded animal. Next he thought of a smart solution to get the wounded animal close to the gate so that he would not need to enter the stable. He would fix a rope to a long stick or a pitchfork and use this combination to lay the rope around the horns of the cow or bull. When having the cow or bull attached to the rope he would be able to pull the animal towards the gate in reach of the captive bolt gun. Sometimes the animal would walk on its own but in other cases, for instance when the animal gets mad and uncontrollable he would attach the rope to a tractor and pull the animal to the gate. His considerations on using a tractor and in this way maybe causing animal suffering he reasoned that it would guarantee the safety of the person who is handling the captive bolt gun. It also creates a much better situation for placing the captive bolt gun on the right position, thus decreasing the chance of a misplaced shot and therefore actually decreasing the possibility of severe animal suffering. When pulled towards the gate the animal s head will be fixated and relatively still, this makes a far better situation for placing and firing the captive bolt gun. The exsanguinating process would be the same as Theo Bartens suggested an approach from behind the head of the animal in order to be safe from unexpected movements when the knife enters the body. 2.4 Contact with veterinarians During our investigation we also had contact with working veterinarians. We made a questionnaire and ed that questionnaire to about thirty veterinarians, unfortunately we got little response. Though the few that did respond were very interested in the project and willing to help. One of the veterinarians was very interested in our project and called for more information. The contact with these veterinarians gave more insight in the actual procedures and experiences of emergency slaughters performed by veterinarians. The results we got from the questionnaire where little but did give us more insight in the 12

14 experience of emergency slaughtering by veterinarians. The following points were interesting: - Strong emotions are no longer present. Both veterinarians said that being relaxed and have a professional attitude is the best solution for making no mistakes. - Fixation is an option, most of the time they won t perform that action. Isolating is necessary. - Missing while shooting never happened, although both gentlemen shot dozens of times. - The farmers are generally very cooperative, it is also in their importance that the progress is going smoothly. - Most of the time, the situation is a cow with a broken leg. We did keep in mind that both these veterinarians have been performing emergency slaughters for quite a while and similar to Jan Bronkhorst have become more secure in their approach and estimation of the situation. The questionnaires filled in by the veterinarians, are included in appendix C. 13

15 3. RESEARCH INTO THE APPLICATION FORMAT With a good insight on the actual subject of emergency slaughter, its dangers, procedure and legislation, together with the information on the target group we needed to examine the possibilities and limitations of the various application formats in which we could offer the educational essence. With the notion in mind that the faculty asked for a simulation or game in which the emotional aspects of an emergency slaughter could be trained, we did research on what makes a virtual training effective. Key concepts that play a role in the virtual training as well as the ability to learn new procedures are those of immersion and presence. These terms and their influence on a learning experience were examined. 3.1 IMMERSION AND PRESENCE. Immersion is the term used, often related to virtual reality, to describe the process of being in another time and space frame then we are in the usual life. It is the ability of virtual reality but also of older media such as books and film to pull the user/reader into the virtual world that is presented, making them forget the actual world they are physically in. Sensation of being in an environment; can be a purely mental state or can be accomplished through physical means: physical immersion is a defining characteristic of virtual reality; mental immersion is probably the goal of most media creators (w. Sherman, A. Craig) Especially in older media the level of immersion is strongly related to a term called the suspension of disbelief. This is the either conscious or unconscious willingness to accept the virtual world that is presented, to create or hold this suspension of disbelief it s is critical that the virtual world presented is in a way believable, it must confirm to the reader s sense of realism. Though it might be possible to establish suspension of disbelief in a highly fictional story, it still holds as long as the rules set in this fictional world are followed. When speaking about terms such as immersion and the suspension of disbelief in combination with Virtual reality another term becomes important, the sense of presence or being there. Defined by Barfield (1995) as the participant s sense of being there in the virtual environment, presence is what happens when the participant forgets that his perceptions are mediated by technologies. As shown Immersion is actually a concept that can be divided in two forms, mental immersion and physical immersion. Where mental immersion is mainly created by the suspension of disbelief, physical immersion can achieve an actual sense of presence. 14

16 When looking at the human state and the way we interpret and interact with the reality we are able to break it down into a number of input stimuli. The reality we perceive is formed on the input we receive through seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting. Next to that is the ability to interact with this reality that makes us perceive it. When we speak of mental immersion one of the senses is presented with a virtual reality in which we, with the help of suspension of disbelief, get drawn in. When speaking of physical immersion more of the stimuli are presented with a virtual input. When this happens and is done right, it makes the user less dependable of the suspension of disbelief. The sense of presence is easier to establish when more senses get an input and with that there will be a higher level of immersion. Research has shown that some senses are more effective than others when it comes to immersion or a sense of presence. This is partly due to the fact that stimuli like sight and sound are of a stronger nature than smell and taste. When it comes to reproducing this stimuli in a virtual reality it is the case that sound and sight are more easily reproduced in a convincing way than any other input. Research has shown that the levels of immersion or presence are strongly dependable on the choice and amount of input stimuli used within a virtual reality experience. The following table put up by Roy Kalawsky in his article The Validity of Presence as a Reliable Human Performance Metric in Immersive Environments shows how different use of stimuli benefits the sense of presence and immersion. Variable Contribution 15

17 Picture 1: Possible Causes of presence 2 As said it shows that the sight and sound input are more important than other input. Another thing that shows from this table is the importance of consistency and interaction of the virtual world. This relates strongly to the concept of suspension of disbelief and the need to maintain a sense of presence. Looking closer at consistency it shows that it is very important to have the stimuli output and input in a consequent way, same as with the suspension of disbelief, if the user notices something that is not in line with the rules that the virtual simulation gives him he is reminded of the virtual nature and the fact that the input he receives is mediated and not real. This does not mean that the input or way of acting has to be identical to what the user knows from the reality, it just has to be consistent, if so, the user will accept the rules and limitations within the virtual world. The other important element is interaction, especially when talking about physical immersion and presence interaction is a very important part of a realistic experience. If one is offered a virtual world, which is not a narrative, interaction is actually the most important aspect, which will determine the level of immersion and sense of presence. 3.2 LEARNING AND IMMERSION According to an article 3 on the research on the benefits of physical immersion in information visualization, it is true that more immersion creates more task performance. In this particular research the researcher looked at the way test persons did specific task either with a single wall or cave wall situation and either with or without head tracking. Off course the cave situation in combination with a head tracking device created the highest level of immersion according to the test persons. The tasks that they had to perform which were searching a yellow block in an abundance of red blocks were performed best in the highest level of immersion, with cave and head tracking. Other conclusions that were drawn from this research was the fact that head tracking was found to be useful not only for task performance but, got high ratings by the test persons on orientation and usefulness as well. It shows that when it comes to learning a new skill or 2 Kalawsky, Roy. The Validity of Presence as a Reliable Human Performance Metric in Immersive Environments (2000). Available from: < 3 Raja, Dheva, Doug A. Bowman, John Lucas. Exploring the Benefits of Immersion in Abstract Information Visualization. (2005). Available from: < ES205&part=series&WantType=Proceedings&title=VRST>. 16

18 procedure the best way to learn is experience. This is an assumption that has been used and proven itself over the history of time, especially in the practical field. A surgeon can learn from a book how to perform a particular operation, and even though the theory will form the basis he will only actually learn the task when he s is performing it. Based on the research on the befits of immersion generating applications in combination with learning capacity, the possibility of implementing and using emotional responses in immersive media needed to be further examined. 3.3 EMOTION ACROSS MEDIA. Emotions and how they are triggered by input are still a very complicated and undefined field especially when used in combination with various media. In order to implement emotions in a game or simulation it was needed to research the possibilities and achievements on this subject. In an article written by Jonathan Frome, Representation, Reality, and Emotions across media 4, a distinction is made between the different types of emotions created by different types of media. In this article the main question focuses on why humans respond emotionally to fiction, if they know that the contents do not refer to the real world. Emotions in the real world come forth out of our belief in the actual rules and consequences of this real world. In most media and especially in fictional media the emotional response does not come from our notion of reality. Based on the premise that emotions are caused by beliefs, Frome points out two theories concerning the emotional response to media and in particular fiction. The illusion theory suggests that when we engage in fictional media, we temporarily under the illusion that what we see or read is real. A theory that does not confirm to our actual experience with fictional media, if for instance one is watching a film in which a monster approaches, and one would have the temporary illusion that what he or she sees is real. The reaction would be to maybe run out of the house or hide beneath the table. In reality we are feeling anxiety and horror but we do not act upon it as being real, making the illusion theory incomplete. Another theory is the theory of pretend, which holds that when engaged in fictional media one knows that it is not reality and will thus not respond as it being real. This theory suggests that the emotional responses to fictional media are not really genuine ones, because we now they do not come from reality. In order to experience the emotions we therefore pretend that what we see is real, we play a game. But the emotions that are 4 Frome, Jonathan. Representation, Reality, and Emotions Across Media. (2006) Available from: < 17

19 generated when reading a book do feel genuine and while engaging in media we are not constantly consciously pretending. Both approaches seem inadequate to explain the emotional response on media. One could argue that the premise on which both theories are based is therefore inadequate, the premise that emotional response is based on belief. An alternative approach would be that our emotional reaction in media is a multilayered one. Reality in this approach forms the prototype of our emotional responses, emotions play a part in our ability to survive as a species, the rules which are set within reality determine when we are fearful. These rules from reality form a multilayered pattern in our mind on which the given situations anticipate. When brought to the field of fictional media, layers of this pattern are activated thus making an emotional response based on the prototype but not as real as the prototype i.e. reality. This reality explains that when we watch or read a book in which a monster exists, layers of the prototype based emotion of fear are drawn upon, making us feel a weakened emotion of fear in contrast to the fear we would experience in reality. Based upon the rules of the medium our mind knows that the creature from the fictional world cannot harm us in any way, therefore not all layers are drawn in to the emotion. How does this theory relate to the experience of different media? There is a clear distinction to be made between older media, such as books and film and the relatively newer media such as games and simulations. The emotional response in books and films is based on another premise than that of games and simulation. In books and films the emotional responses are usually stronger, this in accordance with the theory is based on the ability of books and films to offer a more complex set of triggers which in turn will drawn upon more layers of the prototype based emotional response. Other than that the older media are based on a non active participation. As we watch a film everything is given, all we do is we go along in that which is being given. Thus only making us a receiver of information. With games on the other hand, we hold an active actor participant function in relation to the medium. As a player we help construct the information that will trigger our emotional response. This active role makes for a different kind of emotional response than older media can offer us. The active role makes it possible to create an emotional response which comes closer to a reality based emotional response, though be it in a limited scope. Because of our active role we can feel some emotions which are closer to the real world, such as a feeling of accomplishment, when confronted with a difficult task within a game the player can feel an emotion of relief or pride when the particular task is well performed. It can be said that these emotions are actually real as being a result of a real setting, a set of rules which create a task that when performed creates relief or pride just as a task in the real world would do so. Though these types of emotions are limited in scope, emotions such as love, compassion and feeling uncomfortable are emotions that are still felt much stronger with older media. And though there might be some emotional responses in games that might be stronger with 18

20 games or simulations because of the active role, a lot of more complex emotional responses are still to be created by the same means as that of older media. If we say that the emotional responses in older media are more based upon empathy because of the non active participant role, than in games the methods which create complex emotions are also based on empathy. In his book Creating emotions in games David Freeman offers three hundred techniques to implement emotional response into games. Though he stresses that games are essentially a different medium than film and books, the techniques used are based on the empathy creating side of the medium. Creating non playable characters with more depth and storylines that take the player along are methods that film can do much better. What these techniques will do is make the player more involved with the medium and therefore making the scope of non empathy based emotional responses more intense. Though there still lies a gap between the two because they trigger the layers of emotional response in a different way. To date probably the massive multiplayer online role playing games offer the biggest scope of emotional response within games, the name itself might partly explain why, these games are role playing games, all the characters and actions are representations of actual players making it a virtual reality with depth in actions and character. In non multiplayer games the depth has to be created by the game developers, in these cases the nature of the medium makes it less suitable for empathy based emotional response, films portray a natural depth in everything that is shot, because it is a very natural representation of reality. In games this natural depth has to be created which in this stage makes it a disadvantage. 3.4 EMOTION IN EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES In theory all media offer fiction, in the sense that they offer the user a world which might resemble reality but is not in fact reality. On the field of serious gaming and simulation for educational purposes goal, is to educate the user on processes of rules which originate in reality. Especially in the field of games information on reality can be offered in quite an abstract way, especially when it concerns rules. For instance the simple rules of mathematics can be educated through a game in a playful setting, making the education fun because of it being a game and at the same time using and offering the rules of mathematics. In the case of more complex educational purposes it becomes more difficult to offer the educational parts without the risk of misinformation. The Nintendo Wii console offers a game in which the user can perform different surgical operations. Though there might be an educational side to the game it can never actually educate in performing a real life surgical operations. This is due to the fact that in more complex matters such as surgery the complexity of the subject holds so many rules and aspects of reality that it cannot be represented without giving misinformation. In this aspect the field of emotional education might be the most difficult of all, as we have seen even in truly fictional media it remains very difficult to represent and ignite emotional response without misinformation. 19

21 3.5 VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATIONS The research on immersion and learning as well as the research on emotions across media led us to further examine the possibilities of virtual reality applications. To become aware of the keys to success with these applications we conducted further research. In the truly educational field the virtual world should represent the essential rules and aspects of reality needed to educate for reality. As we have read in the chapter on immersion and learning the virtual reality simulation offers a high degree of immersion, which has proven to be of influence on the educational value. When the educational goals of virtual reality are focused upon educating the user for reality the risk of misinformation becomes much higher and in some cases even dangerous. In our research into existing virtual reality applications, we tried to distinguish the reasons of success and the fields of application. Four examples of actually successful and effectively working virtual reality applications are in the, medical, military, machinery operation and phobia treatment area. As shown in the immersion and learning chapter, virtual reality simulations offer a heightened sense of presence or reality therefore making it beneficial for real life training. In the military field virtual reality applications are used to train infantry in urban combat tactics by moving them through a virtual city with computer generated enemies. Its success is due to the fact that it offers more sense of reality than the classroom and is more flexible and cost-effective than real life trainings. In the medical field virtual reality simulation is used to train in specific surgical operations. These virtual reality simulations are a success because of the cost effectiveness and the absence of hazardous consequences for the patient. Machinery operation training, is found for instance in driving and flight simulation. Both the military, medical and machinery operation uses of virtual reality simulation basically train a protocol. In military or medical training, the goal is to produce training transfer, that is, to cause the trainee to do the right thing when faced with situations in the real world. This goal is the proper mapping between the sensory stimuli and the appropriate response. (Bowman and McMahan, 2007) 5 This training again revolves around the representation of sets of rules in reality, just as in the serious games on mathematics; the rules that work in reality are represented in virtual reality. Another successful application of virtual reality simulation is in the field of phobia treatment. Interesting is that this one of the few successful virtual reality applications concerned with emotional response. It builds on the fact that a person with a phobia can be exposed with the fearful situation and thereby trains to manage these fears. This works in 5 Bowman, Doug A, Ryan P. McMahan. Virtual Reality: How Much Immersion Is Enough? (2007). 20

22 reality and has proven to work in virtual reality simulation settings as well. This application of virtual reality is different than those used in the medical and military field in the sense that it does not train a protocol. In using VR for phobia therapy, the goal is to trigger the brain's fear structures so that the therapist can help the patient manage fear. Assuming that the patient's perceived sensory stimuli activate fear structures, the VR system must produce sufficiently realistic sensory stimuli to trigger fear. (Bowman and McMahan, 2007) This application goes back to subjects discussed in the chapter of emotion across media. The virtual world triggers the different layers of the emotional response creating a sense of fear. In combination with the theory on Immersion and presence, virtual reality can provide a sense of reality due to the input of several input stimuli. In this case the level of depth and therefore sense of reality has to be high, as shown in picture 2. the characters in the virtual reality are not computer generated. Picture 2. An example of VR phobia treatment. These three successful virtual reality applications have in common that they cover a small area of reality to offer an educational value and to limit the risk of misinformation. In the military and medical field the protocols form the essence of the learning experience, focusing on the most important stimuli for the specific task. The success lies in narrowing down the complexity of the to be trained situations. Especially when looking at machinery operation, the goal is to train a protocol, due to the nature of machinery their underlying sets of rules are easier to represent. The rules that lie beneath 21