Virtual reality has become huge ever since the Oculus Rift hit the scene. Movies, scenery, games—there’s a whole other universe inside the headset. It’s no surprise, then, that people have begun making virtual reality games to deal with physical and mental illness. Deep does just that.
What is Deep? Developer Owen Harris designed the game for people to learn and control their breathing. The scene is an underwater world, where you’re suspended in a dreamy, calm atmosphere. Your breathing pattern translates to a rise and fall visually in the water. You explore the coral in the game, which acts like a zen garden.
You might have noticed the panic around the dangers of virtual reality, which is probably inspired by things like The Matrix or Sword Art Online. But Deep isn’t the first game of its kind, and previous games that help with managing stress have proven helpful. These games can help not only those who have to deal with things like anxiety and trauma, but also those who have physical impairments and can’t use traditional controllers. Deep just so happens to be a bit more immersive than some of the other games, but the genre as a whole is growing.
The possibilities are limitless. You can make for yourself a fairytale world or just for fun revisit the 90s. Or maybe all you want is just a trip to the Bahamas. Where would you go?
(via boingboing and Owen LL Harris)
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