THE HOST

Exploring the realm of alien embodiment and the associated visual ASMR experience

Concept

Project Host is an exploratory Virtual reality experience based on an accident in a lab, where there was a new form of life created. Players in this game will experience a new world and the embodiment of the creature. This project is created and developed based on research and testing of ASMR shaders. To achieve an enhanced comforting and calming effect in the VR experience. This is a collaboration project with Tszkwan and Xuan. Tszkwan is focused on the shader and exploratory VR environment building and Xuan is focused on developing Avatar embodiment and game interactions.

As a research-driven endeavor, "Host" embraces the full potential of Virtual Reality to transport players into new and fantastical worlds. By taking on the role of an alien creature, the participant is able to experience an embodiment unlike anything they've encountered before. The worlds themselves are a representation of the "zoo hypothesis" - a reciprocal system between the virtual and physical realms - with the player being monitored by the "observers" in the physical experience.

Project Poster

3D Poster Link:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4grnn1Upnx8

"Host" comprises three different scenarios, each with its own unique challenges. The first scenario, a lab incident, is the result of an experiment gone wrong. The second, a skin-inspired space, requires interaction with NPCs to unlock the world trigger. The final scenario, a brain-inspired world, tests the player's abilities as they must learn to fly unaided high among the neural system in search of the world trigger. All the while, a herd of adorable mysterious creatures dwells in each world, ready to interact and guide the player.

Shader Research

Sketches for Scene Environments 

Development Process  

UI Design