The Immersive Wire - 2 May 2021 (Sunday edition)

SUNDAY READ EDITIONCurated VR/AR analysis every Wednesday and Sunday

// 2 May 2021

I swear my house has the ability to make anything disappear without a trace, into a bubble dimension full of useful-but-not-important items.

Connect with the Igloo Vision team on LinkedIn.

Let's talk about the misleading PC Gamer article. Recently the publication released a piece titled 'O

culus will sell you a Quest 2 headset that doesn't need Facebook for an extra $500

.' According to the piece, the more expensive headset - referring to the

business edition

- costs more because it's 'essentially the value the social media giant attributes to your data.' The article doesn't expand much further on this, as it then touches on how competitors can't match the price of the Quest 2's consumer version because Facebook's backing is so large. The article misled a lot of people, for a couple of reasons:

• Generalised headline. It's the type that asserts a statement that can be shared virally, without users clicking through and reading it properly, but doesn't convey the nuances of the discussion. No, Facebook doesn't value your personal data at $500.

• Inadequate argument. The article barely explores why else the business version is more expensive, doubling down on the data angle. It does not explore why the business edition's additional services contribute to the price. The argument is too reductionist to be true.

But ultimately, I am targeting this article because it tells us a lot about the media landscape with VR headsets. A lot of people really care about the use of their data, and Facebook's mandatory log-in is a sticking point for some vocal people. In response, publications are crafting headlines that validate their views, causing the article to spread. And the number of times I have seen people share it without reading the headline is, well, disappointing. I welcome discussions on the role of date and VR, so long as they are nuanced and well-balanced. But I am wary of articles that appeal to the lowest common denominator and barely contribute to the important discussions in our industry - and so should you. Check your diet of articles each day, and keep an eye out for clickbait.

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Check the label. Photo credit: Oculus.

In this day and age, who would have thought of producing a company brochure? At Igloo Vision, we hadn't. But, more and more potential clients and partners have been asking us for one - and forever eager to please, we've put one together.

Check it out here

for your one-stop-shop on everything Igloo and shared immersive spaces.

Q&A with... a VR/AR specialist recruiter

Kim Shatzer, Managing Director at Onward Play

What is the recruiting landscape like?

First and foremost, candidates want to know if a VR/AR studio allows “remote forever.” The problem our VR/AR clients have with the “work from home indefinitely” request is that extended realities and games are meant to be highly collaborative in ideation and construction. People work in the VR/AR industry to entertain, innovate, advance interaction, and design unforgettable immersive experiences or products; all those concepts will get accomplished faster, on-budget and more efficiently as a team working on site. Many of our major VR studio clients have spent big dollars on curating a hip, inclusive, comfortable and buzz-worthy office space; they are losing value with the lack of togetherness via sharing a common workplace.

Secondly, candidates want to compare a studio's perks and benefits early on. Equity, sign-on bonus, performance bonus, 401k match are the 4 most requested items after remote-forever.

What's the most interesting trend you noticed?

VR/AR will absolutely continue to thrive through the pandemic and beyond. As a specialized, niche Game/VR/Esports staffing agency, our recruiters hear all the juicy details about our candidate's current roles as it pertains to studio morale, ethos, revenue trajectory, crunch practices, unannounced projects, work/life balance, mental health, leadership, and more. VR/AR studios will continue to aggressively hire for their engineer, creative, art, leadership, production, and marketing teams in 2021.

VR/AR engineers and designers are naturally curious (and entrepreneurial!) due to the growing nature of the industry and games, services, and products being built. With that said, since the pandemic, candidates have been wearier about changing jobs into a VR/AR start-up, younger studios or studios still seeking more funding. Even after 12 months of Covid and vaccines, candidates desire a long-term guaranteed stable income and newer VR studios pose a risk.

What advice would you give to job hunters?

Stay open-minded about applying to large AAA game studios. From what we’ve been gathering with our director and executive-level friends in gaming, there are lots of whispers about major PC, Console, and Mobile games transitioning into VR experiences in the near future.

For more info on Onward Play, check them out here.

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That's all for this week! Want to have a chat, let me know about a news story, or talk business? Either reply to this email, or contact tom (at) virtualperceptions (dot) com. Have an excellent day!