PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Serving as a warehouse, office and asset for innovative entrepreneurs of storytelling, Disney Accelerator of Glendale, CA recently hosted an exclusive look into the groundbreaking VR experience of The VOID. Developed by Curtis Hickman and his father, Tracy, with the slogan “Step Beyond Reality,” The VOID is an immersive hyper-reality VR experience that previously gained attention for their elaborate Star Wars production. However, the platform has added two new experiences to their line. You can read my review of the experiences Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment and Ghostbusters: Dimension here. Aside from this epic adventure, I had the pleasure of attending a press interview with the father/son creators behind The VOID, Curtis and Tracy Hickman.
Having worked with top ranking magicians around the world, it should come as no surprise to learn that Curtis, Chief of Creative Officer and Co-founder of The VOID, would go on to develop cutting-edge VR experiences that incorporate sensory illusion. Helping tackle the storytelling element placing you in the middle of the action is Director of Story for The VOID, Curtis’ father and best-selling fantasy author, Tracy Hickman. Teaming up with me to cover this interview while providing helpful material to make this article possible are my new friends from Krypton Radio, Shawn Crosby and Gene Turnbow. Visit their website here. Read on to learn more about the creators of The VOID, VR and their recent projects!
Curtis Hickman: One of the things we have been talking about for a long time is a haunt experience, and I just jumped at the opportunity because it sounded like too much fun.
Tracy Hickman: Curtis, in particular, has enjoyed haunts for much of his life. At one point, when he was younger, we were invited down to Richard Garriott’s home when he did haunts in his house, and so we were able to go through one of the haunts that Richard had done, and it was just mind blowing what he had built. And I think, to a certain extent, that’s kind of informed a little bit of the direction that we’ve taken on this one.
Shawn Crosby for KR: Curtis, I have to assume that you were raised in an environment of RPG because of your father’s career.
Curtis Hickman: I think that is safe to assume, yes.
Shawn Crosby for KR: How difficult is it to bring that from a tabletop environment into a full immersive VR environment to tell this kind of a story involving puzzles to progress? Was it an easy transition? Was it more fun or less fun?
Curtis Hickman: The similarities with what we do at The VOID and D&D role playing were such that they were the primary reasons why I asked Tracy to come and work with us. He has this background in nonlinear storytelling and presenting a story in such a way that people become participants rather than simply part of a viewing audience. Growing up in that environment has helped quite a bit in some of the decisions we made for The VOID. I would say that what we are doing is harder because it takes so many people and great minds working together to make it all happen. It’s such a complex process. But the results end up being stunning, so it’s worth the effort.
PopHorror: Is this your first horror-themed VR experience?
Curtis Hickman: For The VOID, yes. It is the first, for sure. And we were nervous about doing it. How are people going to react to getting scared in VR!? Are they going to get scared at all, and what is that going to be like for them? So, it’s kind of an experiment for us, but one that we’re very proud of.
Tracy Hickman: And how far do you go? How far do you push it? Unlike a traditional physical haunt, there are many physical limitations to what you can do. But all of those are thrown out the window when you get into the virtual environment. Especially in The VOID where we specifically give you feedback. There are smells, the floor rumbles and you feel an impact through the vests you are wearing. And so, we asked ourselves how far we should take it before we’ve gone too far. So, it’s been a very interesting journey for us in experimenting in this particular genre in The VOID.
Curtis Hickman: There are definitely ideas that we developed and back off from because it was just too extreme. People want to have an adventure and, in the end, I think fear is a big part of adventure.
PopHorror: Exactly. You don’t want to give them a literal heart attack.
Curtis Hickman: Right, exactly. I think there’s a big difference.
Tracy Hickman: And the kind of horror that I like has more suspense to it. It’s the anticipation of the scare that is as important as the scare itself.
Gene Turnbow for KR: Are you still struggling between the balance of technology and the storytelling at this point?
Tracy Hickman: I don’t know if struggling is the word. We find it challenging.
Curtis Hickman: It’s funny. The technology, to me, is still in very early stages. In the very near future, some of the advancements will take care of some of the things we struggle with the most. In the meantime, illusion design helps fill in many of those gaps that we’re experiencing now. We are able to get away with quite a bit more than what I feel we should be able to with the technology that’s currently available. But, you are right. There is a very delicate balance that is happening on that stage. A lot of psychology and magic design that goes into anticipating what people are going to do and how they perceive the world that is around them.
Shawn Crosby for KR: The first two VR experiences that I am aware of developed through The VOID are Star Wars and Ghostbusters. Unlike the previous two, Nicodemus is not tied to any licensing. It’s your baby. So, I imagine, in some respects, it is easier to do since there are no additional boundaries. But did you have trouble condensing what could have been a bigger story?
Curtis Hickman: I don’t (laughs).
Tracy Hickman: Okay, I do (laughs). I write long books and wanted to put far more in there than there is time to do. For me, one of the more interesting aspects of The VOID is that we don’t tell stories. This is a completely new medium. Film has a whole language of its own that’s been developed over the last hundred years. The language of the virtual environment is only in its infancy. It’s only beginning to be understood. And one of the things that I feel is that we don’t tell stories. We provide a story environment. It’s a narrative environment in which you become the center of the story. Unlike any medium that we have had all through history, this is the first time we have been able to break that fourth wall completely and allow you to take center stage in what’s going on.
Curtis Hickman: And that is what makes the comparison to D&D so interesting. In D&D, you are a participant in the story that is being created, the difference being that you aren’t actually experiencing it in place of the character.
Gene Turnbow for KR: What new technology is coming down the pike in the future that may influence what you’re going to do next with The VOID?
Curtis Hickman: Eye tracking. There are so many great things that are going to come from eye tracking and HMDs that will lead to amazing creative possibilities that we’re already exploring. The moment that this technology is available, we will put it in place.
PopHorror: The whole story of Nicodemus is fascinating to me. Who came up with the core story idea and what inspired it?
Curtis Hickman: The core story idea came from me. I would say that it inspired by automaton history. I love that type of thing, and I find it kind of creepy. I also love the setting of the Chicago World’s Fair and the idea that they really did just let it sit there. They decided not to use money to tear it down and it just rotted away.
Serving as a form of transmedia, The VOID’s haunted VR experience ties in with the short novel, Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment, which was written by Curtis and Tracy Hickman, which will be available to the public this fall. With it, readers will be given an edge in the VR experience. With clues sprinkled throughout the book, one can expect to do better at the immersive VR experience and uncover an alternate ending that requires specific knowledge and foresight. The Nicodemus: Demon of Evanishment experience is currently offered at Glendale Galleria in Glendale, CA and The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian/The Palazzo in Las Vegas, NV. It will soon be available at The Rec Room West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Cinemark West Plano in Plano, TX this fall. Fore more information, visit The VOID online here.
