Students Offer WPU Campus Tours -- Virtually

Not many college seniors can boast that they have built a virtual reality (VR) simulation from scratch that is actually being used. For Adam Lembo, that’s both a personal achievement and a significant boost to his resume.

VR design experience is a valuable commodity in the Raleigh area, where companies in gaming and simulation design are thriving. According to the East Coast Game Conference, more than 40 companies in RTP develop, publish, or provide technology or services to the video game industry.

In the Spring semester of 2022, Adam, his brother Nathan, and four other students in the Simulation and Game Design department at William Peace University (WPU) designed a VR tour of the university Welcome Center as their class project. None of the students had prior experience with designing VR. They did have 2D or 3D game design experience, but none had used the Unreal Engine, one of the biggest game engines in the world for project design.

But that’s the point of WPU’s focus on immersive learning — to allow students to follow areas of interest, and to learn by doing.

“Programming traditional games is a little bit different from programming something in VR, with different interactions,” Adam said. “So it was a lot of trial and error. Doing something, and then absolutely failing!”

Failing that is, until they got it right. The team members played to their strengths. One student focused on designing the music and audio playing in the background. Another focused on brochures and graphic design. Two students worked on the 3D visuals. Adam and his brother worked on the programming and interactions on the game engine.

“Everyone had something to do every week that made it into the game,” said Brandon Crews, Assistant Professor of Simulation and Game Design. “They worked really well together.”

Professor Crews assumed the role of producer, keeping the team to deadlines, and offering guidance, but mostly letting the students learn by doing. Team members also took the lead in interacting with a real-world client — the director of the school’s marketing department. They met with her every other week to review progress and pitch new ideas.

“I really wanted them to get the experience of working with the client,” Crews said. “I try to give them projects they can use as they apply for jobs, and ones that are going to showcase their skills to the best of their ability.”

The result is a fully immersive virtual experience of the real world Welcome Center at the university. Interacting in that virtual space, a user can click on a 3D map of campus buildings to see what happens in each. Items in the space can be picked up (and even tossed about) to learn about university departments, degrees, clubs and social activities. These include tri-fold pamphlets, a dumbbell representing the school's sports and exercise degrees, and a game controller for Esports teams.

The marketing department takes the Oculus headsets and touch controllers with them to high schools and recruiting conferences to engage prospective students.

“This was something that was made by students, so it shows off what you can learn at William Peace University,” Adam said. “It also shows off newer technology, and that we have access to it.”

Just as game companies build the original version of a game then later release additional downloadable content, the original student team built the virtual tour of WPU to be expanded. Subsequent classes of students at WPU are now working to add VR interactions beyond the Welcome Center. This semester, students are building out the theatre department, dorms, and outside space. They are also working toward uploading the game to the Oculus app store, so anybody with a headset can download and play it to learn about WPU before ever coming to campus.

The university continues to invest in new technology to keep up with rapid changes in the gaming and simulation industry. That includes beginning to work with augmented reality as well as expanding on VR.

VR is already in practical use in the real world. In addition to gaming, simulations teach nurses how to give shots, and cardiac surgeons try out new surgical techniques. Firefighters and law enforcement also train using VR, which is a more cost effective and less hazardous way of getting hands-on experience.

Adam’s hands-on education with VR at WPU has certainly given him some valuable experience. He is now an intern at Triangle Esports Academy, creating a game developer course for teenagers aged 12 to 18.

“I have something to show on my portfolio that I did, and it’s being used by the school,” Adam said proudly. “It has application that is beneficial to somebody.”