Station Earth
Station Earth is a 20-min VR experience developed in Unity designed to challenge the static perception of life and death. The player embodies a soul that wakes up in the 'plane-after-life'. In this narrative, life and death is not viewed on two opposing end, but rather dynamic, intertwined stages of one constant flow. Under this perspective neither life nor death is a permanent stage, but both are crucial forces pushing us towards the constant journey of change. Under their influence we say goodbye to our past again and again, and continuously forge newer experience for ourselves.
Designed to foster cross-cultural dialogue and reflection on death—a subject often shrouded in taboo—Station Earth aims to provide a space for healing and understanding, encouraging players to share and contemplate their experiences and beliefs, thereby bridging cultural divides and nurturing a collective empathy and openness towards life's ultimate passage.
“Oh I see, you are new here, aren’t you? People have given it many names when I was alive: Limbo, Bardo, Sheol. To me, it’s a place where I can rest.”
An Observing Soul
“I only know that I am already very old… One morning when I open my eyes, I found myself here…”
An Old Soul
“Why are we here, and where are we going? No, no. I don’t do things unprepared. I must figure it out first.”
A Pondering Soul
Project Objectives
The mission of Station Earth is to facilitate reflection and open dialogues on the often-taboo subject of death. Through the immersive VR environment, the project invites participants into a space where death is not an end but a gateway to exploration, connection and renewal. By engaging with this virtual realm, individuals are prompted to reflect on their personal and cultural beliefs about death, encouraging introspection and a reevaluation of preconceived notions. This reflective journey is designed not just to alter perceptions but also to heal our fear of loss and the unknown, and to inspire open, heartfelt conversations among users about the usually heavy and avoided topic.
Technology
This project is developed in Unity. As a solo capstone project, I drafted the early stage design and went through iterations to arrive at the final execution. My roles encompassed everything from modeling, scripting and character animation, to the sound and environment design.
Delivery Strategy
In the design of Station Earth, I researched into the diverse cultural interpretations of the afterlife, drawing from a rich array of literature and visual works, including Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Maya Mythology and Norse Mythology. After the research, I elicited and combined the ideas from different cultures into a more modern and cohesive narrative, ripping off the cultural visual symbols yet keeping the core idea to create a more generic yet relatable human experience.
In my design, the player first arrives at a dark plane in a broken temple, symbolizing the broken physical body. In this plane the player encounters many other spirits, each have their own view on what's happened and what's about to come. To ascend from this plane, the player arrives at an alter and the luminescent plant channels the player up — looking down, the player can see a body being revealed underground. The player ascends higher and higher, leaving the body behind. The second plane is a three-level train station, each train symbolizes a possible destination of the next life. Here is a space to explore and listen to the stories of other creatures and places, until the player finds their own destination: Station Earth.
Project Outcomes
The project was exhibited in the IMA Capstone Show 2023 and was well received by the audience. Audience reactions highlighted the immersive power of VR technology, particularly among first-time users, who were captivated by the detailed environment, the expansiveness of the dark plane, and the intricate skeleton models amidst stars. The transition scenes, especially the ascent revealing one's body below, sparked conversations about out-of-body experiences, and some discussions around the relationship between body and soul, of how a soul could feel their existence without a body. The narratives around animal lives inspired further discourse. Some audiences expressed their desire to explore life from an animal's perspective and shared their cultural views on life as an animal. The concluding question about whether souls can recognize each other across lifetimes elicited varied responses, sometimes with wonderful personal stories. It was fascinating to hear about the diverse ways people think about death and afterlife, and discuss how their perspective of death may affect their attitude towards life.
Playthrough Preview
Best viewed in Virtual Reality!