VREF is a framework for academic experiments in virtual reality. Download now and take part in academic experiments to aid VR research. The current project aims to assess the technical feasibility of teaching fire training in rural areas.

## About This Game
PLEASE NOTE: The application is currently under maintenance and will resume
shortly. Thank you for your patience.

This application aims to assess the technical viability of fire training in
rural areas and deployment in VR users’ homes. All information provided is
game-ified and should NOT be taken for actual safety advice and has not been
verified by fire services.

In this application you will learn how and when to use four types of fire
extinguishers (Dry Powder, Foam, Water and Carbon Dioxide). After learning the
correct procedure for safely handling a fire extinguisher, you will be tasked
to extinguish a fire hazard that is effective for that extinguisher (Paper,
Gas, Electrical and Fuel hazards). Once all four types of extinguishers and
hazards have been completed, a fire training simulation will be begin. This
simulation will put your skills to the test in a search and rescue operation.

During the fire training simulation, you will be tasked with exploring a house
during the aftermath of an earthquake. Using the knowledge learned from the
training stage, you will be assessed on how effectively you tackle any hazards
or dangers discovered during your exploration. Failure to correctly tackle
hazards will result in a failed simulation. Once you are satisfied that the
search and rescue operation is completed, you can return to the hub area and
generate your score.

If you have any questions, complaints, or experience issues with this
application, please contact Scott Howie (Contact email available in the help-
section) for assistance. While playing the game, in-game analytics will be
gathered to assess the technical feasibility of the simulation. This data may
be used for academic publication. By downloading and agreeing to the in-game
consent forms, you will be giving your consent for this data to be anonymously
used. If you wish to opt-out of data being submitted, please email Scott Howie
prior to 1st of January 2019, after this date, data will be submitted for
publication and it will not be possible to remove.

Thank you for your time and assistance with this research! Any feedback you
have is greatly appreciated.

_ACHIVAL GAMES:_
City Exploration
Challenge other Virtual Reality users to discover the ultimate movement method
for virtual reality games and applications. Collect as many star objects as
possible to help your team compete and score points!

Within this application you will be set a number of assigned tasks to complete
within a limited time period. Using novel virtual reality interaction and
movement techniques, you will attempt to find and collect all star objects
located within a modern city environment. Your method of movement will be
predetermined by the application, this will put you into one of three teams.
Team A, uses trackpad/analouge stick movement to explore the world. Team B,
uses quick teleportation. And Team C, uses a new novel reference teleportation
technique, that allows you to be in two locations at once.

You will be representing your team in this competition to discover which
method of movement is superior for collecting the most stars in the least
time. The team with the most stars wins! The results of the competition may be
used in academic research to analyse how each team handled the situation and
assess pros and cons of each method. You can re-play the experiment as much as
you like, however, your contribution will only be considered for the original
team you were allocated. The winning team of the competition will be revealed
after the minimum number of team-members have contributed and teams are of
equal distribution. You will be able to check the winning team by visting this
store page, or through a Steam community forum announcement for this
application.

This product is a framework for academic experiments using virtual reality.
In-game data information will be used to analyse games featured in the
experiment. By downloading and confirming your consent during initial setup of
the application, you are consenting to the use of your anonymous data for
academic research. You can opt-out of this research by declining consent or by
emailing Scott Howie (Contact email available in the help-section) within a
month of completing an individual experiment included within the application.
All data gathered will remain anonymous and not be associated with your Steam
account, Steam ID or other personnel information. This data will only be
accessed by authorized academic investigators and collaborators and strictly
limited to usage in academic research, and will not be sold, transferred, or
traded to any third-party commercial company or entity.
##
## Additional Information

This framework includes various games that feature as experiments. Each of
these games will include three distinct stages: “Information and Consent”,
“Task” and “Debrief”. These are described in detail below:
## _Information and Consent_
Upon starting the game you will be able to select which experiments you wish
to participate in, by doing so you will be met with a consent screen. This
screen will inform you of the task you are about to conduct and requires you
to confirm your consent for the application to gather anonymous information of
in-game data for the purposes of academic research.
## _Task_
The task section of the experiment will involve the completion of a set of
tasks with a goal of completing an objective. These tasks will be described to
you during the experiment and will have been summarized during the Information
and Consent stage. Each task will be unique to the experiment you will be
participating in. These tasks may be similar but may not be alike. In some
experiments, there will be multiple variations of a single experiment
conducted, each completed differently. You are free to try all these included
methods; however, we will only use data gathered from your initial running of
the experiment for our research.
## _Debrief_
After you have completed the experiment, you will be informed about the
purpose of the research we are conducting. We will request that you keep the
goal of the research confidential as to not include bias for future
participants.

The games featured in this application will continue to be updated overtime,
with more added through-out the year. The current released games within the
application are:
* City Exploration

If you have any questions, complaints, or experience issues with this
application, please contact Scott Howie (Contact email available in the help-
section) for assistance.

Virtual Reality Experiment Framework