LAST WEEKEND, The University of Salford got took over by an event called GameLab, which brought members of the public to the doors of Media City. Thomas Taylor and Ellen Ward went to explore the depths of the gaming world.
GameLab showcased what the future of technology will look like, and what developers are currently working on such as games called Office Heroes and Neighbours Balls.
Both of these games are played using virtual reality, which is extremely popular (and expensive) among gamers.
Last year, over 2000 people attended the event and each year the number grows steadily larger.
Andy Miah, Chair for Science Communication and Future Media, highlighted the key aspects of the event.
He said: “We have four floors in our building at Media City, with lots of different activities from all different disciplines.
“So, whilst we have been a partner for the Manchester Science Festival for six years now, this is the biggest and the best we have done so far.
“We have called it GameLab this year in part to bring stuff from virtual reality, digital gaming, those sorts of things, but connecting it with Science, Technology, and Engineering.”
See the rest of the interview below with a volunteer who helped out at the aquarium.
The aquarium was extremely popular with children, as the organisers managed to create a whole room with digital fish and a VR experience teaching you about marine life in the corner.
On the second floor, retro gaming and experiments were spread out for viewers who are interested in learning more about science.
Quays News got a demo of one of the most exciting experiments by a science volunteer.
As well as a demo, Quays News got to see why developers are concentrating on virtual reality and spoke to a programmer for a VR game he has been working on.
Tomas Narusevicius, 22, programmer of Neighbours Balls, said: “To begin with VR is definitely a new tech right now that’s really used and popular around people.
“But, it’s really unexplored which is why one of our agencies wanted us to use VR.”
Another game called Office Heroes was in the room next floor but they used a different VR goggles, the interview is below.
One of the VR systems was popular amongst the public with a twenty up to thirty-minute wait.
It was popular because it was the only virtual reality system at GameLab that came with multiple devices, so that players can immerse themselves into the game.
This included foot straps and holding them in place on a walk platform with goggles and headset.
The foot strap only worked for flats, so no heels were allowed for this shooting game.
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