Kia Ora! Haere Mai!
Hello and welcome!
IEEE VR 2022 has an exciting and interesting programme of content this year, and we hope you enjoy all that this special event has to offer.
In addition to the content, social aspects of conference events are almost as important. Old friendships are renewed, and new ones formed. Like-minded researchers can be brought together to collaborate in new ways. Commercial, governmental, academic, artistic and social organisations can share their points of view to help address some of the challenges facing society, both great and small.
We have organised several social opportunities for attendees within the IEEE VR Virbela/iLRN Campus. Our goal is to promote connection and collaboration, exploration and excitement, friendship and fun. Okay… enough of the alliteration!
There is a slot in the Conference Programme for "Social Activities in Virbela" on Tuesday from 16:00-17:30 NZDT, but most of the social opportunities can be enjoyed at any time.
Below is a list of some social opportunities we have put together for you. We hope you can find some things here that sound interesting, and that they help you have a fuller experience at the conference.
Ready Player 22, Anytime, (Everywhere)
Started in 2021, Ready Player 22 (RP22) is a puzzle-solving/exploration/collaboration activity. There are four puzzles that need to be solved, each revealing a "key" that unlocks a hidden room. The first one to find all the keys is the winner. Leaderboards throughout the campus show the current status of the game. Some of the puzzles will require exploration around the campus. Some will require coordination with other players. More information will be provided, both here and around the campus on billboards, when the game begins at the start of the conference.
Powerboat Racing, Anytime, (Sumner Beach)
Two powerboats have been placed at "Sumner Beach." Choose a boat to drive by hovering your cursor over the steering wheel of one of them, and clicking. Or you can choose to be a passenger by clicking on an empty seat on one of the boats. You can then put your boat at the start flag, and begin the race when another racer joins in the other boat. Or just practise your skills!
You will need to navigate around four red-and-white striped buoys, starting with the right-most one you see. Go to the right of the first, the left of the second, etc., then head back to the start area.
Powerboat Pleasure/Exploration, Anytime, (Lyttelton Docks)
Several powerboats have been placed at the "Lyttelton Docks" area. Choose a boat to drive by hovering your cursor over the steering wheel of one of them, and clicking. Or you can choose to be a passenger by clicking on an empty seat on one of the boats.
Freeplay and 3-v-3 Football/Soccer, Anytime, (Hagley Park - Soccer Field)
You can kick a soccer/football around, or divide up into teams. Several balls are around the field, so people can practice. Just have fun!
Flashmobs, During Conference Breaks or Anytime, (Summer Beach, Everywhere)
This was a big hit last year, but several people missed it. This year we will coordinate better by having an open invitation to "Meet on Sumner Beach!"
If you've never taken part in a (virtual) flashmob, the idea is for a seemingly-random set of folks to start dancing in sync with each other at a specified time and place.
At IEEE VR, we will do this virtually, by having a group of avatars "meet" at a given place and time, and then triggering certain built-in dance moves at the same time.
More specifically:
- One person should be designated as the "organiser" of the flashmob
- The organiser asks everyone to arrange themselves, for example in a circle or grid, or just randomly.
- The organiser lets everyone know what command to load up in the chat window (see the table below)
- Everyone opens their chat window, and loads up the command, but waits for the signal from the organiser before pressing RETURN. Each command starts with a slash ("/"). If you don't include the slash, it will just echo what you type into the chat window for all to see (embarrassing!).
- The organiser counts down from 5, and everyone hits RETURN at the same time.
- If you want to record a video of the flashmob, someone will have to use the "/freelook" command, and fly up high, look down, and record the screen using a third-party tool such as "Camtasia" or the built-in "screenshot" tool on Mac.
Some of the commands are quite long, some play music too, most are pretty silly 😁
| Command | ||
|---|---|---|
| /backflip | /basketballidle | /basketballshoot |
| /bow | /cheer | /clap |
| /climb | /comehere | /confused |
| /cry | /dance | /dance2 |
| /handsin | /headbang | /headbanglong |
| /hiphopdancelong | /housedancelong | /impatient |
| /laugh | /powerpose | /raisehand |
| /robotdancelong | /salsadancelong | /samba |
| /shakehand | /swingdancelong | /talkinghandgesture |
| /tassellefttoright | /tasselrighttoleft | /think |
| /thumbsup | /thumbsupexcited | /thumbsup2 |
| /twistdancelong | /wave |
It's best to practice entering codes before the flashmob so you are ready. Besides, someone nearby will probably ask you: "Hey! How'd you do that?!?!" And that's a great way to meet new people.
Invisible Path Game, Anytime, (in the GOTO Menu)
On the GOTO menu at the top left of the Virbela interface, you will find an item called "VR22 Invisible Path Game." This is a game where one group must guide another group to complete a maze.
Virtual Drinks and Dancing, Anytime, (Riverside Rooftop Bar, Music Hall)
There are several areas where people can just hangout in a bar-like environment. One is the "Riverside Rooftop Bar" and the other is "VR22 Music Hall". Enjoy these places, and try out our dance moves!
Photos from Previous IEEE VR Conferences, Anytime, (Gogo's Galleries)
We have made some rooms with pictures contributed by attendees to previous VR conferences on the walls. These are located in the "Tower of the Sun" accessible under "Gogo's Galleries" from the GOTO menu. Feel free to have a look!
Speed Dating, Tuesday 12pm-1pm NZDT, (Speed Dating Arena)
There is a session on Tuesday from 12pm-1pm NZDT (UTC+13). The session can be accessed through the GOTO menu, from the entry "VR22 Speed Dating Arena."
Cross Country Running, Anytime, (Start at Bridge of Remembrance)
We have laid out a path through the campus that you can follow as a sort of Cross Country path. Just come to the "Bridge of Remembrance", and follow the PINK PostIt notes to follow this loop.
Stair Running, Anytime, (Start at Campus Commons Entrance)
We have laid out a set of GREEN PostIt notes up one of the stairways of the "Campus Commons." Start outside the entrance, and run inside and up the stairs on the right. Be the first to get to the top and take the lift down for the Ground Floor to win!
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