Virtual Reality takes the gaming experience to a new level

Johnny Quest, his expeditions and the catchy soundtrack are legendary. With a scientist father, Quest embarked on a series of adventures, most of which involved strapping on a pair of virtual reality glasses and defeating his enemies.
Now, one can get their own dose of these 4-D VR experiences in the city. Head over to VR gaming rooms mushrooming across the city to embark on your own experience.With options like Virtual Game Room on FC Road, Smaash in Vimannagar and Univrse Virtual Reality Arcade in Tathawade has gamers spoilt for choice with a plethora of experiences to ensure nobody gets left out.
Kishor Godithi, co-founder of Univrse Virtual Reality Arcade said the focus is the experience. Set up at Pune in January 2018, the arcade has reported good footfalls. “The experience is central to the whole idea of virtual reality. It can range from single user to multi-user experiences. The best part is anyone above five years of age can participate,” he said.
About what experiences they provide, Godithi said, apart from shooting games which are quite popular, they also have underwater experience. “Basically, it puts you on the sea floor or on a coral reef. You can walk on the floor and witness sea creatures like different kinds of fish, jellyfish and turtles surrounding you. If you touch the fish, they swim away.”
The arcade has over 20 games to offer. “There are multiple experiences. There’s roller coaster, walking on the 100th floor of a building. We have more than 20 games including adventure, shooting, horror, boxing, etc,” he said.
Sumit Batra, sales manager for Pune’s chapter of Smaash, said they had three different types of experiences in their VR rooms. “We have three different types of games. One is ‘Walk the Plank, which gives you an experience of vertigo with challenging heights. The second is ‘Finger coaster’ a roller coaster ride. Using a touch screen, guests can draw a 950-metre roller coaster of their choice and can ride on that. There different themes they can customise it with like forests, beaches and ice.”
However, one of their most popular is the ‘Jurassic Escape’. “It’s a breathtaking jeep ride through the Jurassic park,” Batra said. People are excited about these games and come in for the thrill of it, he added. “The rides last for two minutes and you can hear some people scream their lungs out as the experiences are immersible. We get a lot of bookings on on weekends and evenings with corporates and families coming in. They love the experiences,” he added.
On heading down to the Virtual Game Room on FC Road, gamer Rohan Gaikwad (14) is busy shooting enemies in a historical war game. Despite his first time, the teenager is adept and coordinates his oculus and gaming consoles with dexterity.
About his experience Rohan quips, “It was realistic and enjoyable. This was my first time, and I hope to come here again I liked the shooting games best of all.”
Rohan’s experience is closely monitored by Vishwanath N, cofounder of the game room, which completed three years in March. “We get college students, children and families. Weekends are fully booked. Anyone from 6 to 60 years of age can play the games,” he said.
The two-cubicle game room has more than 50 games on offer, ranging from sports, adventure, shooting, horror and others. “ It’s not sedentary, you need to be on your feet and move to actually experience these games,” he said.