Custom Pcs
Developed by: ByteSpeed
VIRTUAL REALITY GAMES FOR EDUCATION
Featuring the Oculus Rift
Game
Brief Description
Curriculum Options
Price
Modbox
Modbox is a phyics sandbox game with the focus on user creator, modding,
and multiplayer . The player is given various tools for creation and is encouraged to create and build whatever they please. The player then has the
ability to share what they’ve created to other players.
Game Development, Architecture,
Math, Geometry, Problem Solving
Steam Store;
$14.99
Poly Runner
VR
Poly Runner is a spaceflight challenge in which players must navigate at high
speeds through diverse alien landscapes. It is essentially a higher-end Cube
Runner with cooler landscapes and a spaceship. Control the ship by looking
or tilting your head in the direction you wish to fly. Warning: can be highly
addictive.
Graphic design; physics;
Trigonometry
Steam Store;
free
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 is a beautifully rendered recreation of the Apollo 11 moon
landing. There are two game modes: interactive, and observational. The
interactive mode has opportunites for the player to dock the spacecraft,
land the module, etc. The observational mode lets the player sit back and
watch as these proceses take place. Both modes allow for the player to
spend some time walking around the lunar surface completing various tasks.
This game is highly educational and an overall fun experience. Some of the
“shots” of the moon and earth are breathtaking and give the player a small
glimpse of the wonders of our solar system.
History- the beginning is spent
reviewing the space race and watching
one of JFK’s speeches. Apollo 11 also
provides an accurate representation of the
mission timeline. There are some physics
aspects as well, with gravity and momentum. Any class coveing the space race or
early space technology should incorporate
this game.
Steam Store;
$14.99
Euclidean
Euclidean is an eerie, slow-mo, pseudoplatformer where the player tries to
avoid contact with various geometric monsters. The steam website descrigbes it as “a game of geometric horror; a slow descent into the dark, into
madness, futility, and despair, where Things greater than you watch and
wait and dream.” Intermittent flashes of light allow you to see around you as
you sink, but visibility is mostly limited. The player can occaisionally catch a
glimpse of a lurking predator as it skirts past. Anticipation is key, as one late
movement will result in a gruesome slaughter.
Geometry- this game is named after
Euclid, who is referred to as “the father of
geometry.” all the objects and especially
the creatures are composed of various
geometric shapes. This could also be used
to inspire students who think “geometry
has no practical applications blah blah
blah.” The graphics are delightful.
Steam Store;
$4.99
Game
Brief Description
Curriculum Options
Price/Shop
Sketchfab
Sketchfab is a website used to display and share 3D content online. User is
able to view community submitted 3d content and view them in virtual
reality.
Art: Ceramics, 3d Modeling
Free
Clouds Over
Sidra
“Clouds Over Sidra” follows a twelve year old in the Za’atari camp in Jordan,
home to 84,000 Syrian refugees. It follows her to school, to her makeshift
tent and even to the football pitch. “At the UN, we consistently strive to
bring citizens’ perspectives into the decision making process anyway possible” said Gabo Arora, Senior advisor at the UN. “By leveraging breakthrough
technologies, such as virtual reality, we can create solidarity with those who
are normally excluded and overlooked, amplifying their voices and explaining their situations.”
Social Studies/Humanities
Free through
WITHIN app
on Appstore,
Google Play.
Grove - VR
Browsing
Experience
Grove allows the user to browse the web in VR. A variety of relaxing backgrounds makes for an overall pleasant viewing experience. Open and
view as many windows as you desire. However, the program is not all that
smooth, as typing requires the user to look directly at the textbox. However,
youtube videos, imgur, and other websites ran pretty smoothly. I was hesitant to log in to Facebook or Instagram because I did not want my information stored in the App.
Software Dev, anything requiring
internet.
Steam Store;
$4.99
Henry
An animated virtual reality movie following the story of Henry the Hedgehog. He is celebrating his birthday but he has no friends. A simple but powerful story.
Story Telling
Oculus Home:
Free
Social Studies/History -- WW II,
world history
Oculus Store,
Steam Store
$11.99
Chernobyl VR
Project
Back to Dinosaur Island
This immersive environment allows the viewer to observe a number of
dinosaur species as they roam through an outdoor landscape. The highlight
of the experience is a brief encounter with a TRex who takes a moment to
show his size and teeth to the user.
Science -- biology, English/Creative Writing
-- as a sample of what might be a fictional
environment; getting students to write
descriptively
Free on Steam
VR
I Expect You
To Die
In this spy-based thriller your goal, as a secret agent, is to solve a series of
puzzles quickly and effectively so that you don’t end up a casualty of the
mission.
Language Arts -- Storytelling through
an immersive narrative and problem
solving
Free at
https://share.
oculus.com/
app/iexpectyou-to-die
Game
Brief Description
Curriculum Options
Price/Shop
Keep Talking
and No One
Explodes
This simulation involves one participant in the headset and others not in VR.
The person in the headset sees a bomb that they must difuse. The people
not wearing the headsets use a printed manual to try to ascertain what type
of bomb the person in the headset sees based on the desription the person
in VR provides. It is a communication exercise where time is of the essence!
English Language/Communication -how can one be descriptive and convey
important information quickly and succinctly. Collaboration/Team building -working together, individuals must solve a
challenging team communication problem.
Steam
$14.99
8:46
This powerful simulation depicts the experience of being in one of the Twin
Towers during the 9/11 attacks. It is highly intense and gives the user a visceral sense of the panic and fear people may have felt during the attacks.
History -- a look at September 11th;
a discussion of terrorism/empathy and
simulated historical events; we had a
teacher use it to discuss the emotional
implications of VR simulations.
Free at
http://www.08h46.
com/
The Night
Cafe
The Night Cafe is an immersive VR environment that allows you to explore
the world of Vincent van Gogh first hand. Viewers are placed in a world
that’s in the art style of Van Gogh and are able to walk around the cafe and
see Van Gogh’s famous creations through different angles. Vincent himself
also makes an appearance.
Art/Painting, English/Creative Writing -Inspiration for visual thinking and
writing.
Free at
https://share.
ocul
us.com/app/
thenightcafe-animmersivetributetovincent-vangogh
Hunger In LA
This emotionally intense CGI experience recreates a powerful situation that
occurred in a food bank line in California. One person, while waiting for
food, slips into a diabetic coma. The day is hot, the people in line are frustrated and this immersion gives a close up look at the
emotional toll hunger in Los Angeles takes.
Social Studies/Humanities -- an
opportunity to explore social justic,
equity and real-world impact of large
scale issues like hunger.
Free at
http://www.
oculus
hare.com
NoLimits2
Roller Coaster
Simulator
w/ Level
Editor
NoLimits 2 is a simulation that lets you experience roller coaster thrills.
Users can experience the excitement of world’s most famous roller coasters
in real time as well as design and ride their own roller coaster that is engineered to their specifications.
Engineering -- planning the
construction of a roller coaster;
Science -- Physics
$39.99 at
http://www.
nolimit
scoaster.com/
Free Demo
Dinosaur
Island 2: Back
to Dinosaur
Island
In this more interactive version, you use a controller to climb up a visually
interesting cliff, full of flying dinosaurs, eggs and a variety of interesting geographical features. When you reach the top, you are able to view herbivores
in the environment.
Science; computer animation -- a neat way
to illustrate the time of the
dinosaurs for students as well as a
discussion point for animation and graphic
design
Steam Store;
free
Game
Brief Description
Curriculum Options
Price/Shop
Fying Aces VR
Flying Aces VR is a flight sim/combat game set during World War 1. Users
experience pilotting during the birth and rise of aerial combat during the
Great War (1914-1918). Develop and test your piloting, gunning and bombing skills in structured missions.
Social Studies/History -- Students
can experience combat during WWI,
as well as have a better understanding
of technology used; Aviation -- flight
simulator
Free at
http://www.
vrgameplay.
com/do
wnloads.html
Street View VR
This immersive experience allows you to see the world in an immersive way,
much like Google Maps, but in VR. You can visit over 3000 places, find interesting facts about them and share places with your friends.
History, Social Studies, Language
Arts, Art, Architecture -- There are all
sorts of applications for this. Teacher
have used it to highlight key
locations, augment lectures, inspire
kids to create, and essentially take
them to places they perhaps couldn’t
otherwise go.
Free at
http://www.
streetv
iewvr.net/
Subway Car
This immersive subway experience is actually part of a design experiment
to look at how the user experiences the reality of looking at people on a
subway car.
Tech/Design classes -- Tore Nabe
actually has a variety of design
experiments in VR available to try;
teachers in tech and design may find
these useful discussion points or
illustrative of particular concepts.
Free at http://
toreknabe.
com/virtualreality
Discovering
Space
A free-form flight around SPACE. Players take control of the ship and are
free to travel anywhere they like and see anything they wish to see from the
comfort of a VR spacecraft. Players can use an Xbox controller to control the
ship.
Science -- Astronomy, teacher can
show students the distance
between planets as well as scale.
Free at
http://theriftarcade
.com/market/
downloads/discovering-space/
Arnswalde VR
Interactive Architectural Reconstruction of pre WWII Town that was 95%
destoyed during siege.
Social Studies/History
Free at
https://share.
oculus.com/
app/arnswalde-vr---architecturalreconstruction
Titans of Space
An interactive tour and gallery of out solar system. Each planet and moon
in this experience are built using real data from space agencies around the
world.
Science- Astronomy
Steam Store:
$7.00
Game
Brief Description
Curriculum Options
Price/Shop
Subnautica
“Descend into the depths of an alien underwater world filled with wonder
and peril. Craft equipment, pilot submarines, terraform voxel terrain, and
out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, cave systems, and
more - All while trying to survive.” In Survival mode, you avoid dangerous
creatures, find resources, and manage hunger and thirst to survive. Other
modes include Freedom, Hardcore, and Creative, where there are unlimited resources, no constraints, and no death. You can build underwater
dwellings, vehicles, and even garden. The possibilites are limitless, and the
graphics are beautiful as well. Currently, the Oculus displays the game, but it
is not true VR as it does not respond to Oculus movement. This is likely due
to the fact that the game is still in early development.
Biology/Marine Biology, Home
design, Architecture, Physics
$19.99 on
Steam
The Night
Cafe
The Night Cafe is an immersive VR environment that allows you to explore
the world of Vincent van Gogh first hand. Viewers are placed in a world
that’s in the art style of Van Gogh and are able to walk around the cafe and
see Van Gogh’s famous creations through different angles. Vincent himself
also makes an appearance.
Art/Painting, English/Creative Writing -Inspiration for visual thinking and
writing.
Free at
https://share.
oculus.com/
app/thenightcafeanimmesivetributeto
vincent-vangogh
InCell
InCell is an action/racing VR game with a bit of strategy and science thrown
into the mix. Users journey inside a human cell and stop a virus from attacking. The game is focused on VR but can be played without a headset.
Science -- Biology, teachers can show
students the inner working of a human
cell. Showing what happens when a virus
attacks.
Free at http://
incell.nivalvr.
com/
InMind
Similar to InCell, InMind puts users inside the human body, this time the
brain. InMind is a short scientific adventure with arcade elements
designed for the VR.
Science -- BIology, students can see
the inside of a mind and how it works. Can
better understand the location of sections
within the brain in relation to each other.
Free at http://
inmind.nivalvr.
com/
The Body VR
This science-based immersion lets the user experience the body from the
inside out, using colorful, CGI graphics. Audio is overlayed to explain and
highlight key aspects of what the user is seeing as well as key words are
visually highlighted while going through the experience.
Biology/Anatomy -- Gives an immersive
experience into images, words and audio
explaining key aspects of the human body.
www.thebodyvr.com
Discovery VR
Curated platorm for Discovery Channels 360 Content.
Social Studies/Humanities/Science/
Technology
Oculus Store:
FREE
Game
Brief Description
Curriculum Options
Price/Shop
Elite Dangerous
Users take control of a starship in an open world set in outerspace. A
combintation of a trading sim/dog fighting. Designed as an open world
adventure with the modern generation with a connected galaxy. The Milky
Way is re-created at its full galactic proportions and users can fly through it
to get a feel for intergalactic scale.
Compter Science -- Game design
29.99 at
www.elitedangerous.com
Please Don’t
Touch Anything
“Please, Don’t Touch Anything is a cryptic, brain-racking button-pushing
simulation. Covering for a colleague who is taking a bathroom break, you
find yourself in front of a mysterious panel which only component is a red
button. And since you’ve clearly been instructed not to touch anything, the
only thing you want to do now is push that button. “
Problem-solving: Puzzles
Oculus Store,
Steam Store
$11.99
Destinations
Destinations Workshop Tools lets you create, share, and explore both real
and imaginary places in virtual reality. This is a beta release of a set of content creation tools that users can use to construct worlds and share them on
the Destinations Workshop – then explore them with the included Destinations Viewer.
Game Development, Architecture
Steam Free
WoofBert VR
WoofbertVR is an arts-education company that harnesses technology to
allow its subscribers to view art and cultural institutions virtually and
anywhere. Their application allows viewers to go to featured museums and
view the art pieces featured there.
Art: History
Free
Time Machine VR
Time Machine VR is a futuristic time traveling experience in which the player
travels back to the Jurassic age to collect data from underwater beasts. The
player controls a pod and tags, samples, and interacts with various sea creatures.
Biology, Science
Steam Store:
$29.99
Carpe Lucem
Carpe Lucem is an immersive strategy/puzzle game in which the player
must connect beams of light to their correspondingly colored portals. There
are various that allow you to teleport beams, combine beams to change
color, reflect beams, change the beams, and create new beams. Each stage
introduces a new sort of mechanic or idea that makes the level more complex. Interacting with the floating pieces produces a sound or note that is in
the same key as the ambient music, allowing the player to make a little tune
if they so wish. Once I started this game I simply did not want to stop, and
the more complicated levels were definitely rewarding to complete.
Physics; Mathematics; Problem Solving;
Geometry; Mechanics
Steam Store;
$14.99
Titans of Space
An interactive tour and gallery of out solar system. Each planet and moon
in this experience are built using real data from space agencies around the
world.
Science- Astronomy
Science- Astronomy
Game
Brief Description
Curriculum Options
Price/Shop
Kumoon:
Ballistic Physics
Puzzle
Kumoon is a mathematical “trickshooting challenge for all ages.” The player
goes around as a little bot (highly reminiscent of Eve from Wall-E) and
shoots balls at blocks and objects arranged around the room. Different objects are assigned different point values. When the ball comes into contact
with an object, the player is rewarded points based on the value of the
object. The player must reach a certain point threshold to move on to the
next level.
Physics; Mathematics; Problem Solving;
Geometry
Steam Store;
$4.99-9.99
Speech Center,
Public Speaking
Simulator
These simulation helps individuals to improve their public speaking skills.
The Cardboard Version offers a more basic, interactive experience and is
available on the Play Store. The Oculus verion allows one to practice speaking in a variety of scenarios, both mundane and more intimidating with CGI
people. The realistic sound in the headphones mimics speaking in a microphone and users can pick from a variety of simulated environments.
English/LA/Communication/Public
Speaking --- teachers from a variety
of disciplines have had students practice
speaking in this simulation to build their
confidence and communication skills
Free at
Oculus Store
for Gear VR