The concept behind my digital artefact was to investigate and observe how Virtual Reality scenarios, built in the Unity game engine are effectively used in hazardous industry training to simulate dynamic and dangerous situations in a risk-free, gamified and controlled virtual environment.
Over the course of eight weeks, I was able to attend several events and training sessions that allowed me to observe classes and focus groups interacting with our content. These observations proved highly beneficial in assessing how this method of training is able to reinforce learnings, spark engaging conversation and communication on risks and hazards, as well as create a fun and immersive experience.
The events attended and observed are detailed below, as I used these for my qualitative research. I also compiled some footage in a quick video in my digital artefact that helps demonstrate the potential VR offers for remote areas, specialised training and creating a unique learning experience.
| Event Name: | Date: | Location: | Participants: |
| Tahmoor Safe Coal Day 1 | 23 June | Tahmoor Colliery | 40 |
| Mines Rescue Troubleshooting Workshop | 16 July | Southern Mines Rescue | 15 |
| NSW Standing Health Committee | 9 August | Hunter Valley Mines Rescue | 15 |
| Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference | 21-22 August | The Star Gold Coast | 40 |
| Tahmoor Safe Coal Day 2 | 1 September | Tahmoor Colliery | 30 |
| Singleton Council Safe Work Month Event | 25-28 September | Singleton Civic Centre | 250 (over 4 days) |
Along with these observations, I also asked informal questions to participants, sent out some Qualtrics surveys and invited the trainers and Mines Rescue personnel involved in the delivery to participate in fortnightly steering meetings which served as a more in-depth focus group.
The general tone and feedback from participants who engage with VR training is positive. People enjoy the unique experience it offers, the gamified approach it has and how it breaks up traditional classroom methods. That being said, it also has some negative commentary that often works its way out from anonymous surveys. This is usually focussed on technical issues, user errors or some people being more susceptible to motion-like sickness and they often find VR doesn’t agree with them.
I have included an example of some of the feedback below in Figure A.
Figure A – Feedback from the training survey. Commentary on the use of VR headsets in formal training.
The scenarios we offer are predominantly trainer-led and guided but also allow for some “choose your own journey” storylines and scenes to ensure the participants are engaged and actively assessing the situation for the safest and most accurate course of action. This is enabled through the early design and storyboarding of each scenario, which we will delve into further as we analyse the narratology of the content.
While conducting my research on the use of VR for training purposes in mining and hazardous industries, I came across the surprising realisation that our company is not alone in providing this distinctive service, which involves creating scenarios within the Unity game engine. ‘‘MINING-VIRTUAL’ is a serious VR game for occupational health and safety training in underground mines.’ Their research into this approach has also introduced me to the term ‘serious game’. They have described it as follows: “VR training includes serious games —games that do have ulterior motivation rather than only entertainment— so that the training program becomes more immersive, motivating, and fun.” This evidently backs up Raessen’s belief that there is a ‘ludification’ in today’s culture and that advances in technology and digital content are incentivising us to embrace play and playful identities. It is no surprise then, that as we adapt as a society to these cultural norms of online communities, digital societies and mixed reality offerings, we also embrace a more gamified approach to learning and training.
It is actually due to these insights and research that I also shifted my initial approach to the overall analytical framework. Initially, I was looking to assess media archaeology but have instead opted to analyse game mechanics for our Virtual Reality software and the Oculus Quest.
The Oculus Quest (or Meta Quest) is equipped with two controllers, each featuring triggers. The right controller is additionally fitted with a joystick, facilitating teleportation in free-roam mode, along with action buttons for item selection. These controllers play a vital role due to their hand-tracking capabilities, enabling users to pick up objects, gesture with their hands, and reorient themselves. Furthermore, they provide haptic feedback, enhancing immersion by vibrating in response to in-game events or incidents.
To accommodate classroom settings, we have also developed the trainer menu that allows for some moderation of the game mechanics. Instructors have the ability to enable or disable the teleportation function, granting individuals the choice to explore an area or remain in their current position. The menu also includes a feature for regrouping the class, a particularly valuable tool considering the expansive scale of our virtual environments, some of which are equivalent in size to a real mine.
The second component of my analytical framework which is also incorporated into my digital artefact, is the scenario design process or narratology. We operate in fortnightly sprints under the Agile framework for this process.
Each scenario we design is a collaborative effort involving our customers, their project team, or subject matter experts. In this process, our team of Unity developers, including myself as the project manager and coordinator, collaborates closely with our client’s team. Their team typically comprises a trainer, operator, chief investigator, project coordinator, and others, each of whom possesses the vision, knowledge, and expertise needed to address our inquiries effectively. This group needs to provide information and insights that encompass both the creative and technical aspects of mining practices, hazardous industries, spatial understanding of heavy machinery, and mining safety protocols.
With this valuable guidance in hand, our developers proceed to construct the virtual environment, design the terrain, depict machinery operations, establish truck routes, animate characters, define spatial zones, and outline procedural steps from the ground up. To ensure our development aligns with the intended vision, we maintain a regular consultation process with our clients, meeting each sprint. During these sessions, we engage in an ongoing dialogue, review our progress, gather feedback, and make certain that our latest iteration remains on course and is effectively conveying the desired experience. I wanted to include this level of detail on the narratology process involved in our development as it is akin to the development of video games and software development.
Finally, I was able to review our marketing strategy in detail as a final component in my triangulated approach to the analytical framework. Over the course of this subject, our department has simultaneously been rebranded, whilst overhauling our website and producing new promotional content and marketing collateral. This has been a difficult but interesting path to navigate from a work perspective and also from an educational perspective as I observed the complexities, legalities and creative conflicts play out across several departments.
In recent weeks, we have made strides in our marketing journey which has enabled me to further analyse this component as the final pillar in my framework. The marketing journey has had several bumps as we navigate the unsuspectingly rough terrain that comes from being a niche software development team within a specialised mining company. Despite this, we have realised our department’s core values align with the company’s mission statement — ‘to protect’.
To build off this mission statement, we selected some keywords to be reflected in our campaigns and material to convey our offering and services. ‘Customised Solutions’, ‘Collaboration’, ‘Experience’ and ‘Innovative training’ help convey our experience working in industry (mining and hazardous industries) whilst appealing to customers who are looking to go the extra mile with their safety training and hazard awareness approach. In my Digital Artefact, I have provided visual examples and a trailer that encompasses our efforts in unity development and modelling, editing, post-production reflection and marketing feedback.
Overall, the key focus of my project was to analyse the effectiveness of VR scenarios developed in a game engine, for use in mining training. This is where I found the research of participatory elements critical in highlighting that a gamified approach was critical in making this training unique and effective. It is where the concepts of virtuality, interactivity and participation culture are harmonised into an effective, serious game with productive play.
Joost Raessens explains that one specific characteristic of computer games (as opposed to film or television) is virtuality and the “possibility to simulate virtual worlds a gamer can explore” or as Michael Heim described it, ‘‘an event or entity that is real in effect but not in fact’’ (Heim, 1993, p. 109). Observing players in our VR scenarios is often a great example of how real our virtual environments, scenarios and actions are. We need them to be a “digitally produced reality that can have effects which are comparable with effects of factual reality” as Raessens so neatly put it. This also ties back into the qualitative research completed where numerous participants commended the ‘realness’ of our VR scenarios and situations.
VR is also particularly interactive. Your movements, choices, and interactions with the virtual world all determine where you go, what you do and what will unfold as a result of these actions. Often the individual with the most control and interactivity in our platform is the trainer. It is the trainer who is ‘driving’ the scenario by using the ‘trainer menu’ which is essentially a master controller. Or when the single-player mode is enabled, each player becomes the ‘trainer’ and can navigate the scenario at their own pace and engage with the content as they choose.
In 1949, Johan Huizinga published “Homo Ludens,” a work that translates to “the playful human.” In this book, Huizinga argued that culture and play are closely intertwined. Raessens also explores this concept but contends that participatory culture related to games is not a passive and consumptive activity; instead, it is active and productive. I share this perspective and believe that play and games, even if they may not always align with one’s personal preferences, are inherently active and contribute to productivity.
I was frequently able to observe instances of this in my research, where play becomes a form of cultural participation. Initially, individuals might hesitate to engage with a VR scenario or module. However, their perspective changes when they witness their peers actively immersing themselves in the content, having fun, and offering insights on hazards or interactive elements. I often refer to this phenomenon as “FOMO” or the fear of missing out, but the more academically precise term is “participatory culture.”
In summary, my digital project and investigation into the successful application of virtual reality scenarios developed within the Unity game engine for training in high-risk sectors (mining) have yielded favourable and gratifying results. The approach of gamifying complex and hazardous scenarios in a secure and guided virtual environment has demonstrated its effectiveness not only in academic evaluations but also in the increased attendance of trainees, positive feedback from students, and the ongoing emergence of fresh opportunities within this specialised market.
Furthermore, we were fortunate to witness the fruits of our labour as we received a “Highly Commended” recognition at the AITD training awards for our outstanding blended learning solution. This achievement further validates the effectiveness and significance of our approach, highlighting its wide-ranging utility and the promising prospects it holds for the future.
References:
Gürer, S, Surer, E & Erkayaoğlu, M 2023, ‘MINING-VIRTUAL: A comprehensive virtual reality-based serious game for occupational health and safety training in underground mines’, Safety science, vol. 166, p. 106226. https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0925753523001686#f0030 accessed 12 October 2023.
Heim, M. (1993). The metaphysics of virtual reality. New York: Oxford University Press.
Huzinga, J (1949), Homo Ludens, Gallimard, Beacon press.
Raessens, J 2006, ‘Playful Identities, or the Ludification of Culture’, Games and culture, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 52–57. https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/doi/abs/10.1177/1555412005281779 accessed 12 October 2023.
Rushkoff, D. (1997). Children of chaos: Surviving the end of the world as we know it. London: Flamingo.
Media Maddy 