When “We” were there: comprehension of Singapore's historic locations through audience engagement in VR

Abstract

Understanding the historical significance of locations in Singapore can be challenging for contemporary audiences. This difficulty often arises from the substantial transformations that these locations had undergone, along with the limitations of current media to provide engaging and interactive content. In this paper, a research project was proposed that addresses this through collaborative virtual reality (VR). The research intends to adapt VR’s aspects and interaction possibilities to present these locations.

VR presents an immersive and engaging way to interact with virtual spaces akin to that of normal reality, allowing for a broad range of interactions within these environments. However, most experiences now are limited to a single participant due to technological constraints. The addition of more than one participant to create a collaborative environment thus presents learning opportunities through social processes where knowledge is mediated between different participants. Drawing from each other’s lived experience, a shared experience is created, enhancing the comprehension of the location.

This study focused on three objectives: (1) Understanding how audiences perceive the historical value of places in Singapore; (2) Investigating the use of virtual reality to enhance this experience; and (3) Evaluating collaborative VR as a tool for experiential learning in historical context. The first two objectives aim to understand how audiences grasp the historical significance of locations and explore ways in which VR can be adapted to enhance this experience. In pursuit of these goals, the thesis proposes that collaborative VR experiences should be engaging, logically consistent, and facilitate meaningful interaction. To implement these criteria, the study will analyse case studies that have used various forms of immersive media to communicate the historical importance of different locations in Singapore.

The third objective focuses on assessing the effectiveness of collaborative VR in experiential learning. For this, a virtual environment replicating Tank Road in the 1920s was developed and used in the experiment. This design, informed through analysis of the case studies, aimed to provide an immersive experience of Singapore's historical context, particularly around the Singapore railway terminus, which was a hub for travel, trade, and transport between 1903 to 1932. This virtual setting offered insights into Singapore's era as a growing British colony and its commercial development. An experiment involving participants exploring the environment was used to determine how shared VR experiences could enhance historical understanding and learning.