A Classroom Through Time

A Classroom Through Time, commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League, is an interactive VR experience in 5 chapters which puts the viewer in a single classroom over different eras of in history, witnessing instances of hate speech, hate crimes and discrimination. What makes the experience unique is the viewer's ability to speak out loud and converse with virtual characters, using AI and natural language processing.

This experience does not set the viewer up to be a hero, averting hate crimes throughout history, but rather immerses the viewer in the tension and complexity of real-world situations. In each chapter, the viewer takes the role of a student during a moment of conflict, using their voice to converse, support, and intervene. This active engagement gives our characters a sense of presence and agency, and encourages each viewer to be more comfortable speaking up the next time they see a real hate crime, small or large, occur in their lives.

The medium is room-scale VR built in Unity, with movement in 6 degrees of freedom for the viewer to walk around and explore every inch of the classroom. Motion capture and facial capture bring the virtual students to life.

Chapter 1 was featured at Games for Change XR Summit 2019. The remaining chapters are still in development.

Production
Conceived & Commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League - Center for Technology and Society
Produced by the ADL, Artie, Shaking Earth Digital, and Noctvrnal
Written & Directed by Weston Gaylord