This is me at MeetinVR‘s team event, the VR Olympics, 19th March 2021
If you think a VR team event could be a cool thing to try with your team but you are not sure where to start, this guide will help you get started. ✨
Table of contents
Devices
First things first, you have to know what device people will join with. Is it a standalone headset (e.g. Oculus Quest or Vive Focus), is it a PC-tethered headset (e.g. HTC Vive or Valve Index) or a laptop/desktop computer? This has implications for the kind of activity you can make, the length of the event and the kind of mobility you expect from the participants.
If you have an all-VR group, then you’re good to go and all you need to figure out is if the activity requires participants to move around the room or if it’s a seated experience. If you have a mix of PC and VR users, that means you will have to organise inclusive activities that account for the functionality of both types of devices. PC users will be using a mouse & keyboard setup, whereas VR users have controllers which allow for more natural interactions like grabbing, pointing or shaking hands. Do keep in mind that the activities you plan should fit into the physical play area that your participants have available.
Key takeaway: Make a list of all the participants and the device they will be using—you can do it in a spreadsheet or with a simple Google Form.
Participants
Now that you have a participants list, focus on understanding your audience. Start by answering the following questions:
VR Experience
Are they comfortable with VR or is this the first time they are trying it? This can make or break a virtual event.
Team composition
How well do they know each other? Do you have to organise an icebreaker event or a team building one?
Personality
What do they enjoy doing? Do they enjoy competitive games or casual play?
Key takeaway: Think about your team’s characteristics and use the questions above to guide you. Each one will help you pinpoint what combination of factors you need in order to tailor the VR team event to the participants.
Platform
Now it’s time to decide on the place. Which platform will you be using to host the event? Get immersed in the platform in which you’ll be bringing the team. What does it allow you to do? When answering this question, consider the following:
Avatars
What kind of avatars does this platform support? Do you want the participants to look like themselves or can they be anything, for example a cartoon character or a cat?
Media Files
How can you manage your media files? It can be useful to bring in a presentation with the agenda of the day or a presentation with the game rules. After the event, how can you download pictures and videos you took during the event?
Locomotion
How do users move around by default? Does the platform encourage teleportation or free moving?For beginner VR users, you might even prefer a seated experience in order to minimise the number of things they have to learn on their first go.
Virtual Rooms
Where will the event take place? It could be around a campfire, on a beach, in virtual office or perhaps in outer space. How many rooms can you create for this private event?
Complexity
How easy is it to navigate the menu, find the tools you need and/or change your settings? This is important because VR can be overwhelming as it is, so you don’t want to force a person to navigate a virtual menu that looks like a pilot’s dashboard.
Key takeaway: your choice of platform dictates what activities you can do.
Time
When you schedule time for the event, you need to factor in device battery life, break time, VR fatigue, expected time for each activity and so on. For beginner VR users, restrict the time in VR to maximum 1 hour as it can be a very intense experience for the first few times. VR fatigue is an issue you need to consider for experienced users too. Schedule 10 minutes of break for every 50 minutes of time spent in VR. This way, participants can have a glass of water, connect their headset to power or stretch their legs.
Key takeaway: when and for how long the event happens will be a strong determinant of how willing participants are to engage in the activities.
Activities
1. Materials and preparation
Ideally, you will need preparation materials for both facilitators and participants, outlining the agenda and the activities of the day. Before the event, you’ll need to upload your materials in the VR platform. Check that the rooms are arranged and decorated accordingly and that the your files have been successfully uploaded.
2. Warm up session
Prepare a 15 minute warm up activity. This helps your team in 2 ways. Firstly, it gets them energised for the event and secondly, it covers you while everyone is joining. My experience has taught me that it’s very common for the participants to encounter technical issues, be late or be in the wrong room right at the beginning of the event. You want to avoid killing the magic right at the beginning by making people wait for everyone to join, or for them to fix their audio setup. My suggestion is to have a list of energisers at hand to keep people busy during this buffer time.
3. Games
Take inspiration from traditional games. Reflect on all the interactions possible, the features, the quirks, the unintended uses of the platform. Gamify everything, and I mean it literally. Turn everything into a game. Dig into your playful side. What can you earn points on? What could be turned into a competition? Go in the VR room and try to imagine what you could turn it into if you were the one creating this room.
Key takeaway: put yourself in the shoes of a participant and imagine what their experience should be from start to finish.
Wrap up
When the event is over, go back to your shared workspace (Slack/Teams) or send an email thanking everyone for taking the time to participate. It’s a nice way to wrap up an afternoon spent together and bring everyone back to your everyday communication channel.
Last, create a shared folder where everyone can add the pictures of videos they took during the event, much like a digital album. Share the folder with everyone in your post-event “thank you” message. Make this a golden rule for every team event you make.
Key takeaway: the post-event interaction is just as important as the buildup of the event; give them equal importance.
Final thoughts
Organising an amazing VR team event is no easy feat, but it’s incredibly fun and very rewarding for both you and the team. For remote teams, team bonding is particularly important for strengthening team identity. If you organise an event based on this guide, reach out to me and show me how it turned out, I’ll be very curious to see! Good luck 🙂