One of the major advantages of virtual reality (VR) is its ability to create or re-create an immersive world. This can involve creating fantastic worlds drawn from the imagination, or re-creating scenes and locations from history or legend. The latter is the case for a new location-based VR attraction called The Golem VR at Hamley’s Toy Store in the Czech Republic.
Though not as well known as many other European legends, the tale of the Golem is deeply tied into Jewish history and the history of Prague. The new VR attraction lets visitors be a part of the legend as it unfolds all around them.
Visitors can don a VR headset to be transported to 15th Century Prague, where Rabbi Löw is creating a creature known as a Golem. The golem is usually depicted as being crafted from stone or clay, animated by a powerful incantation written on its forehead.
According to the story, the Jews of Prague created a Golem to protect themselves from persecution. This goes wrong when the golem displays an inability to tell the victims and the oppessors apart, and the body count starts to rise.
Visitors to Hamley’s Toy Store in Prague can put on a backpack PC and Oculus Rift headset, along with Leap Motion hand-trackers before walking through a ‘time tunnel’ portal which transports the visitors to the historic Charles Bridge in the year 1608.
The unfolding VR experience is designed as a virtual escape room, where participants need to cooperate in order to move forward in the experience, such as assisting Rabbi Löw in throwing balls of energy in order to tame the golem.
The Golem VR was created by Ondřej Bach, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of DIVR Labs. Visitors to Hamley’s Toy Store in Prague can pay $450 CZK (Roughly €17.6 EUR) to take part in the experience.
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via Mint VR