Towering hologram figures. Mesmerizing art installations. Journeys through technicolour space. Suffice to say, the 2021 VR Awards were unlike any other awards show out there, and Archiact had a front row seat.
VR's Most Prestigious Awards
Now in their fifth year, the 2021 VR Awards were hosted entirely in AltSpace VR. Our team donned their headsets and dove into the app, where we proudly represented DOOM 3: VR Edition, chosen as a finalist for Game of the Year.
Who would take home the big wins? What would the ceremony look like? What awaited us inside this event?
We’re not sure we can describe it, but we definitely had our minds blown at least twice.
Half Oscars, Half Burning Man...
Arriving at the awards was like stepping inside a never-ending art installation: a guided journey through incredible virtual spaces and experiences. We began in a lavish entryway, which spilled into a beautiful nighttime forest, and then a series of playful puzzle rooms that paid homage to the golden years of sci-fi film.
A few puzzles (and unexpected spaceship rides) later, attendees were suddenly soaring through a technicolour flythrough of psychedelic landscapes. We can safely say this was the first mind-blowing instance of the day, complete with much hooting and hollering as we hurtled through time and space.
When we finally arrived en masse to the event hall proper, social norms took gentle hold once more. Sitting quietly in the stands, a considerable crowd watched as each of our fellow VR developers, influencers, and leaders took the stage to accept their awards...
Who Took Home The Ultimate Prize?
Without further ado, we want to extend a huge congratulations to Resolution Games for winning VR Game of the Year with Demeo!
Of course, along with our incredible partners at id Software and Bethesda Softworks, we are so grateful that DOOM 3: VR Edition was selected as a finalist for this category. Bringing this iconic action/horror title to PlayStation VR earlier this year was an all-time highlight of our development careers.
Congratulations as well to all the other winners of the night! You can catch up the full list of winners on the VR Awards site, including Thrillseeker, 3DAR, and of course, the iconic Tom Furness, who accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award in full-body hologram.
(I think we heard Thrill literally gasp when Tom appeared. You don't want to miss it!)
