XR GAME
“This development documentation captures the iterative design process behind Skyhound’s core research question: How can XR reintroduce uninhibited imaginary play into adulthood? The video showcases key milestones in translating theoretical concepts into tangible interactive mechanics, from early prototyping through final implementation.”
Rediscover the joy of childhood play and surprise-filled spaces in a game that invites you to explore the unfamiliar.
Research Recognition
I’m pleased to share that my research on Skyhound has been accepted for publication and presentation at the 2025 9th International Conference on Intelligent Computing and Virtual & Augmented Reality Simulations (ICVARS 2025). I look forward to sharing these findings.
About
SkyHound captures the essence of childhood play by encouraging adults to embrace uninhibited imaginary interactions within a familiar space. The game utilizes pseudorandom level generation and intuitive hand gestures to create a dynamic, emotionally resonant experience. By anchoring a virtual paper airplane directly to the player’s hand movements, SkyHound eliminates intermediary barriers between intention and action, allowing players to rediscover the spontaneity and joy of unrestricted play.
Through these experiences, players are invited to self-reflect, rediscovering play’s importance in unfamiliar situations. SkyHound isn’t just a gameโit’s an exploration of how XR can reintroduce imaginative play into adulthood
Special thanks to my friends for testing and my partner, Shreya Joshi, for inspiration and support.
Sarthak Ratna Sthapit
Responsible for all sounds, visuals, assets, game design, and development.
Mentors:
Chris Barker, Jadd Zayed, Carlo Tolentino, Jeremy Parker, Uyen Nguyen and Moon Hoang.
Playlist
Skyhound Making Part 4 | Uninhibited Imaginary Play
The culmination of my research journey! This final video presents the completed research paper: “Uninhibited imaginary play: how pseudorandom level …design and hand gestures deepen adult playful engagement in XR games.”
๐ Complete Skyhound Making Series:
๐ฌ Skyhound Making Part 1 – https://youtu.be/UbqqDPtZ9ns
๐ฌ Skyhound Making Part 2 Sneak Peek – https://youtu.be/9kt6fgiBQmk
๐ฌ Skyhound Making Part 2 – https://youtu.be/-5X2o7jGQws
๐ฌ Skyhound Making Part 3 Abstract – https://youtu.be/yNL0JrvNJJ8
๐ฌ Skyhound Making Part 3 GamePlay – https://youtu.be/bPc7WHAD9o4
๐ฌ Skyhound Making Part 3 – https://youtu.be/H3eTAQ6C97k
๐ฌ Skyhound Making Part 4 – This Video
๐ Part of my postgraduate journey at RMIT University
๐ Melbourne, Australia
Visit sarthakrs.com if you’re interested in seeing more behind-the-scenes content from my academic and creative work!
References:
Faculty of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, Han, J, Zheng, Q & Ding, Y 2021, โLost in Virtual Reality? Cognitive Load in High Immersive VR Environmentsโ, Journal of Advances in Information Technology, vol. 12, no. 4.
Li, Y, Elmaghraby, AS, El-Baz, A & Sokhadze, EM 2015, โUsing physiological signal analysis to design affective VR gamesโ, in 2015 IEEE International Symposium on Signal Processing and Information Technology (ISSPIT), pp. 57โ62.
[1] S. Geetha, Aditya, C. Reddy M, and Nischith, โHuman interaction
in virtual and mixed reality through hand tracking,โ in 2024 IEEE
International Conference on Electronics, Computing and Communication
Technologies (CONECCT), 2024, pp. 1โ6.
[2] S. N. B. Gunkel, E. Potetsianakis, T. E. Klunder, A. Toet, and S. S.
Dijkstra-Soudarissanane, โImmersive experiences and XR: A game engine or
multimedia streaming problem?,โ arXiv [cs.MM], 2022.
[3] S. Rokhsaritalemi, A. Sadeghi-Niaraki, and S.-M. Choi, โA review
on mixed reality: Current trends, challenges and prospects,โ Appl. Sci.
(Basel), vol. 10, no. 2, p. 636, 2020.
[4] Y. Li, A. S. Elmaghraby, A. El-Baz, and E. M. Sokhadze, โUsing
physiological signal analysis to design affective VR games,โ in 2015 IEEE
International Symposium on Signal Processing and Information Technology
(ISSPIT), 2015, pp. 57โ62.
[5] Han, J. et al. (2021) โLost in virtual reality? Cognitive load in high
immersive VR environments,โ Journal of advances in information technology,
12(4). Available at: https://doi.org/10.12720/jait.12.4.302-310.
[6] N. Shaker, J. Togelius, and M. J. Nelson, Procedural content
generation in games, 1st ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International
Publishing, 2016.
[7] A. Nikkola, โProcedural Terrain Generation in VR Simulations,โ
2022.
[8] A. Monteith, โTranshumanism, utopia, and the problem of the real
inReady Player One,โ J. Relig. Popul. Cult., vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 1โ15, 2022.
[9] T. Marsh, โSerious games continuum: Between games for purpose
and experiential environments for purpose,โ Entertain. Comput., vol. 2, no. 2,
pp. 61โ68, 2011.
[10] C. I. Johnson, N. W. Fraulini, E. K. Peterson, J. Entinger, and D.
E. Whitmer, โExploring hand tracking and controller-based interactions in a
VR object manipulation task,โ in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Cham:
Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023, pp. 64โ81.
[11] โ(PDF) A Note on Presence Terminology,โ ResearchGate.
[Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/MelSlater/publication/242608507_A_Note_on_Presence_Terminology/links/0046
352dc18e11dcf1000000/A-Note-on-Presence-Terminology.pdf. [Accessed:
05-May-2025].
[12] โ(PDF) Presence is key: unlocking performance benefits of
immersive virtual reality,โ ResearchGate. [Online]. Available:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/AngeliqueTinga/publication/326572868_Presence_is_key_unlocking_performance_ben
efits_of_immersive_virtual_reality/links/5b56f67945851507a7c4553b/Presen
ce-is-key-unlocking-performance-benefits-of-immersive-virtual-reality.pdf.
[Accessed: 05-May-2025].
[13] โSkyHound,โ itch.io. [Online]. Available:
https://sarthakrs.itch.io/skyhound. [Accessed: 05-May-2025].
[14] โPacked Away,โ itch.io. [Online]. Available:
https://sarthakrs.itch.io/packed-away. [Accessed: 05-May-2025].
[15] A. D. Cheok, X. Yang, Z. Z. Ying, M. Billinghurst, and H. Kato,
Pers. Ubiquitous Comput., vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 430โ442, 2002.
[16] J. Y. C. Chen and G. Fragomeni, Eds., Virtual, augmented and
mixed reality: 13Th international conference, VAMR 2021, held as part of the
23rd HCI international conference, HCII 2021, virtual event, July 24-29,
2021, proceedings, 1st ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature, 2021Show More
Skyhound Making Part 4 | Uninhibited Imaginary Play
Skyhoud Making Part 3 Abstract
Skyhound Part 3 GamePlay
Skyhoud Making Part 3
Skyhoud Making Part 2
Skyhound Making Part 2 Sneak Peek
Skyhound Making Part 1
Technical Info
- Built in Unity 6 with Oculus SDK integration
- Targeted for Meta Quest 3 with full scene understanding capabilities
- Hand tracking using fist-open-close gestures to FLY!
- Procedural level generation adapting to each player’s environment
- Dynamic asset placement based on real-world scanning
- Paper-like aesthetic achieved through custom shaders and materials
- Unique game session every time through pseudorandom algorithms
ENVIRONMENT DESIGN
- Paper-craft inspired aesthetic creating associations with childhood crafts
- Pseudorandom placement of assets (trees, rocks, planets, hoops) on detected surfaces
- Each gameplay session generates a completely unique environment
- Assets intelligently mapped to tables, walls, screens, and other surfaces
- Visual hierarchy maintained for cognitive accessibility
- Custom 3D models created in 3DsMax and textured with Substance Painter
- Soft color palette evoking nostalgic childhood craft projects
SOUND DESIGN
- Paper-textured audio effects creating consistent aesthetic experience
- Ambient soundscape supporting the nostalgic atmosphere
- Subtle audio feedback reinforcing hand gestures and movements
- Custom sound effects for environmental interactions
- Spatial audio enhancing immersion in the mixed reality environment
- Minimalist approach avoiding overwhelming sensory input
RESEARCH FOUNDATION
- Developed through practice-led research at RMIT University
- Built on theories of play, immersion, and procedural generation
- Exploring uninhibited imaginary play in adult XR experiences
- Investigating emotional responses to hand gestures versus controllers
- Part of published research in Journal of Extended Reality Design
- Addressing the disconnect between physical movement and virtual interaction
- Exploring the potential of XR to evoke childhood-like imagination
Playtest Invite
- This is a beta prototype!
- I’d love to hear your thoughts—what surprised you, confused you, and how it made you feel.
- Did you experience feelings of nostalgia or spontaneous joy?
- How did the hand control compare to your experience with traditional controllers?
- Did the paper-like aesthetic evoke any emotional responses?
- Leave your feedback on SkyHound
Assets Breakdown
Scenario1 : Assets Spawning based on scanned object
Scenario2 : Assets Spawning based on scanned object
Hero Asset
Tower
All Game Assets
Heli
Future Directions
- I’m continuing to refine the procedural algorithms to better adapt asset proportions and placements based on more sophisticated scene understanding. Future research will explore applications beyond gaming, including potential therapeutic applications.
- Did the paper-like aesthetic evoke any emotional responses?
Link to the Video Essay for Publication: Unhibited Imaginary Play
