3D/VR Literature Fiction by Mez Breeze
Prepare yourself for the following Virtual Reality Fiction – increasingly referred to as XR Literature – by reading the artist’s instructions. The artist is Mez Breeze, an Australian-based creator of groundbreaking digital stories and games, often in VR, who’s been producing work since 1994. One of several prizes, DC Thomson’s 2017 Game Design Award went to her co-developed narrative game, All the Delicate Duplicates, in the Best Experimental Game category.
A Place Called Ormalcy is a literary narrative designed in and for 3D/VR environments but can also be viewed on mobile and desktop devices without specialist VR kit. The most vivid experience can be accessed using a VR headset, which we organised at Cymera Festival, in Edinburgh on Saturday, 8 June 2019, Scotland’s first ever book festival for science fiction, horror and fantasy literature.
Since the event was the first of its kind, we had only an inkling of what to expect. So it was with great anticipation that we showcased A Place Called Ormalcy by Mez Breeze at the festival. The wonderful team at VRoom Glasgow set up the system (HTC Vive) at our table in the Creator’s Hall to enable a room-scale experience for interested readers. The reactions were surprisingly varied, ranging from exhilaration and disoriented, to puzzled! We were thrilled to offer festival goers the chance to step into this new mode of literature and the experience has helped us understand the potential of XR fiction. Below are some photos of the set-up at the festival. Further down, you can explore A Place Called Ormalcy for yourself!
About the Artist
Read more about Mez Breeze at her Patreon and Twitter pages:
https://www.patreon.com/mezbreeze
https://twitter.com/MezBreezeDesign
Viewing the work online
You can navigate A Place Called Ormalcy one chapter at a time by exploring the videos embedded below. Make full screen for the best effect, and wear good headphones to capture the increasingly textured sounds!
Chapter Wonne
Chapter Wonne: Meet Mr Ormal by Mez Breeze on Sketchfab
Chapter Toon
Chapter Toon: Mr Ormal likes to… by Mez Breeze on Sketchfab
Chapter Tree
Chapter Tree: One morning on the way to swork… by Mez Breeze on Sketchfab
Chapter Fall
Chapter Fall: Another swoony morning in Ormalcy by Mez Breeze on Sketchfab
Chapter Phive
Chapter Phive: Mr Ormal is sad by Mez Breeze on Sketchfab
Chapter Sux
Chapter Sux: Mr Ormal is on his way out by Mez Breeze on Sketchfab
Chapter Severn
Chapter Severn: Meet Plodiceman Ormal by Mez Breeze on Sketchfab