How do the circumstances of birth shape the outcomes of effort, and can such existential inequalities be felt rather than merely understood? This practice-based research presents an immersive VR experience that transforms philosophical reflection on life into embodied interaction. Using Meta Quest 3 hand-tracking technology, users navigate a boundless oceanic abyss through swimming gestures—ascending requires continuous physical exertion, while ceasing movement results in gravitational descent. This core mechanic functions as procedural metaphor: upward movement embodies perseverance, whereas sinking represents surrender.
The ten-minute experience maps onto a human lifespan, with dynamic audiovisual feedback reflecting users' choices—luminous environments reward sustained effort, while desaturated darkness accompanies decline. Central to the work is a reincarnation system: one's ending determines the next cycle's starting conditions. A triumphant conclusion initiates an "easier" life with reduced gravitational resistance, while a descending end triggers a "harder" existence demanding greater effort for equivalent progress—rendering systemic inequality tangible through differentiated physics.
This work positions VR not merely as a visual medium but as a space where meaning emerges through bodily engagement and algorithmic consequence. By embedding existential metaphors within interaction mechanics, environmental narrative, and cyclical structure, the project explores how procedural systems can articulate philosophical propositions through felt experience, inviting users to discover personal meaning through their own embodied choices.

Authors:
Wen-Hui Bai, University of Taipei, Taiwan
Tsun-Hung Tsai, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. TSUNHUNG TSAI is Assistant Professor in the Graduate Institute of Art and Technology National Tsing Hua University. Areas of expertise include computer animation, interactive design, augmented reality, virtual reality, and game design.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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