THE VIRTUAL LAND Virtual reality comes to Cleveland with three new spots.

TECHNOLOGY

The Virtual Land

Virtual reality has escaped the gate of science fiction. It’s here, immersing itself into Cleveland, a steampunk daydream of a futuristic Rust Belt city. With two new locations opening, we took the tech for a test drive.

WE TRIED IT: OUR VR IMMERSION EXPERIENCE

The floor is decked out with zigzags. I pull down my VR visor. There's a flash, then a fuchsia frog is looking up at me on a golden pathway.

In late September, the Cleveland Magazine squad headed to Cleveland’s local VR original, Boss VR Arena. The world we'd enter first was Engineerium. Few words describe it, but “tiki utopia” comes close.

“This might be weirder than the zombies,” managing editor Ron Ledgard says.

I can hear him crystal-clear through my microphone-equipped headset. We’re suspended in air on floating sidewalks that curve and twist. Despite recalling I’m in a spacious room without obstacles, I spread my arms to keep balance and take baby steps.

As our avatars hover along the paths, I begin to take in the surreal graphics around me, fed by the aforementioned, seemingly arbitrary zigzags. They enable the game to keep track of where my teammates are.

“I can’t do it,” associate editor Anthony Elder says, peering over the edge. Senior editor Annie Nickoloff doesn’t hesitate. She walks off into the blue oblivion and hangs in space. I lean to my right and see a red grid. I step back and it disappears. I’m a foot from an actual wall.

I’ve forgotten all about my gear (visor, vest, computer backpack) by the time we’re transported to the next game. Undead Arena is an apocalyptic game show that could take place on Sakaar. My teammates’ avatars look primal in battle gear. I don’t have much time to think about what I might look like. The zombies are like emails: They just keep coming.

Elder’s inner gamer kicks in, and Nickoloff isn’t too bad either, reprimanding the undead villains with a “No!” as if they’re cats on a kitchen counter.

I had been nervous while previewing the game. The trailer gave us tips on how to explode barrels and change weapons, but all I could think was, shoot, I’m going to get killed.

But during play, my index finger finds the button to switch weapons easily. My assault rifle transforms into a shotgun, then a crossbow. I use all three, and while I like the dull thud arrows make in virtual, undead flesh, my favorite’s the shotgun.

Warnings pop up when you’re close to another player or a wall, so if you’re not too absorbed in the slaying, you can reorient yourself. Despite my reservation, I only die twice. I’m also pleased with my 25 headshots, though I’m wary standing beside assistant art director Abigail Archer, who had the most at 35.

VR worlds are exquisite, but what makes them richer are the people you play them with.

That night I dream of killing zombies. I might have to go back to Boss VR Arena to make sure they stay dead.

3 ONBOARDING SITES IN CLE

BOSS VR ARENA

Boss VR Arena was the first to break ground on Cleveland’s immersive entertainment scene — literally. After experiencing VR out of state with family, co-owner Brad Copley knew he had to bring it home to Cleveland. In March, the 1,512-squarefoot arena featuring Zero Latency Technology’s system opened. By far, he says, the most popular game is Outbreak Origins. "Everybody loves to kill zombies," Copley laughs. “You always have fun when you scare yourself just a little bit." 1-8 players, $45, 18301 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, 216-938-6335, bossvrarena.com

SANDBOX VR

The graphics in Amber Sky 2088 are convincing. Just ask John Specht. By early November, Clevelanders will be able to don the haptic vests and trackers, which allowed Specht, Sandbox VR district leader of the eastern division, to be transported onto a stunningly realistic platform in space. "It wasn't the creatures, it was the height that got to me," he says. Afterward, players receive complimentary video of their antics. “This is more than just a niche,” Specht says. “This is going to be huge.” 2-6 players, $50-$55, 294 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake, sandboxvr.com

SCENE75

For the newcomers and skeptics, consider Scene75’s residential HTC VIVE headsets and controllers on a pulley. Family and friends can watch players move within their own padded cubicle. Corporate director of marketing Maggie McCartney reassures the zombies are just as much an invasive nuisance, which is why she prefers the cheesy job simulator games. “It’s a really good introduction to VR because you’re getting these simple cutesy tasks," she says. 1 player, $10 for 15 minutes, 3688 Center Road, Brunswick, 234-803-1100, scene75.com/cleveland Reality Check Virtual Reality isn’t only for gamers zesting to squash zombies. Dr. Jay Alberts, vice chair of innovation at the Cleveland Clinic's Neurological Institute, is heading research on VR to improve the prognosis, treatment and detection of neurological diseases.

Using Microsoft HoloLens and Infinadeck’s omnidirectional treadmill to simulate everyday tasks like grocery shopping to record motor and cognitive data, the Clinic is integrating the technology into medicine.

Since 2014, Case Western Reserve University has reinvented class with HoloLens. Schools as esteemed as University of Oxford in England and those in Poland have adopted curriculums featuring HoloAnatomy Software Suite, a mixed reality application built by the Interactive Commons at CWRU. Reports reveal students learn concepts twice as fast as they would with 2D models and perform as well as traditional cadaver-based lab students.

“We took one of the oldest classes that you can imagine, human anatomy, and in a period of about five years, we went from hundreds of years of history to teaching in this new way,” says Dr. Mark Griswold, Pavey family professor of radiology and faculty director at CWRU.

And it's not just medicine. Cleveland Museum of Art partnered with Interactive Commons to launch the most immersive mixed-reality exhibit to date for any museum, Revealing Krishna: Journey to Cambodia’s Sacred Mountain.

Last fall, 22,000 visitors fastened HoloLens to interact with art like never before. Jane Alexander, chief digital information officer for Cleveland Museum of Art, says Revealing Krishna generated the highest approval rating in the museum’s history.