Being immersed in Ontario – VAEO revealed

Standing on the glass floor of the observation floor of the CN tower in Toronto and looking down to the ground 342 metres below is certainly an … experience. Observing the reactions of my fellow tourists, there seemed to be three basic approaches: the ‘I’ve no need to prove anything by going and standing on that, and by the way it is much safer here on the ordinary floor’ group, the ‘I’m okay with heights and can look down easily…*@%$’ group or those who forced their shivering legs onto the awfully fragile transparent floor and got off again as swiftly as possible, whilst avoiding all downward glances like the plague.

Thankfully, the experience with VAEO at the SPARKS symposium, at the preview of the just released The Hive and Grove VAEO and the one-day ‘Introduction to Immersive Publishing’ event was as all-encompassing but in a much more pleasant way (though be warned, the forthcoming Tightrope VAEO may bring chills with it…). Watching attendees wander the corridors of The Walper Terrace Hotel as if mesmerised by the various triptychs situated around the conference site (headphones plugged in and smartphones playing the audio aspect of the enigmatic experience) brought a smile and a glint to the eye.

One thing we are noticing is that it takes a little while for newcomers to VAEO to get into the routine, to get comfortable with this new approach, but then on their fifth, sixth or seventh triptych there is a relaxing, an audible sigh and the eyes glaze over a bit as the experience begins to envelop them. As creators of the VAEO platform this is one of the most magical moments – one that shows the power of what is possible through Immersive Publishing – using books/posters/even t-shirts as gateways to realms of magical stories and enchanting encounters.

The fantastic group who participated in the one-day ‘Introduction to Immersive Publishing’ shared their own experiences of VAEO and the potential it offered to their own work as authors, creators and professionals. We are now working with many authors who are excited by the potential of Immersive Publishing and are eager to start designing their own Immersive worlds.

The CN tower just added a new terrorising experience – The Edge Walk – walking on the roof of the restaurant 116 storeys up. Perhaps it is time to offer them a VAEO, something that brings depth to all that height…

Richard

mPowr (Publishing) Ltd

www.mpowrpublishing.com