New VR app makes an adventure out of studying

Prof. Dr. Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer, Chair of English and Digital Linguistics at Chemnitz University of Technology, and Elisabeth Mayer from the Leibniz Computing Center of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities have developed the novel VR adventure quiz app "Bridge of Knowledge VR" with their students.

The modular app enables its users to experience an adventure while testing their knowledge on various topics such as general knowledge, mental arithmetic, linguistics, archaeology, English idioms or French prepositions. "This is an ideal way of studying for the upcoming exams in an entertaining way. But you can also use the app to learn new things," says Sanchez-Stockhammer.

The goal of "Bridge of Knowledge VR" is to cross a suspension bridge in the jungle by answering ten multiple-choice questions in a row correctly. Inside the app, gaze control is used to select the bridge planks with the correct answers. If the right answer is selected, users move forward on the bridge.

"We wanted to add some thrills to learning," says Sanchez-Stockhammer. "So if the answer is wrong, users experience a free fall—but this stops before the ground and is actually fun. There is also a fear-of-heights mode for those who prefer to cross a gently flowing river rather than a gorge." After game over, the correct answer is displayed and the users can start again from the beginning. Completing one level takes about ten minutes.

The app is free to download from Google Play and the Apple App Store. "Apart from an inexpensive VR viewer—made of cardboard, for example—you don't need any additional hardware to play the game," Mayer explains another advantage of the app. "This means that anyone can learn interactively from their home. Our game is ideal for getting to know virtual reality while testing and expanding your own knowledge."

Thanks to the modular structure of the app, new levels can be added to the game via a server very easily. Teachers only need to enter 10 to 80 questions with the correct and incorrect answers into an Excel spreadsheet that can be downloaded from the accompanying website.