Quizmania is something different. Instead of immersing isolated players into an immaculately rendered world, developer Qlab wants to use virtual reality for social gaming. Quizmania places users in 360-degree images containing various questions and hints. One player has a mobile VR headset, while the rest play along on a game board and their phones.
Qlab claims Quizmania is a response to the expensive nature of virtual reality development. In a press release announcing the game, the company said that VR blockbusters take years to make, and many of the games that have been made quickly suffer from “monotonous gameplay.” They also claimed their team can create content rapidly using 360-degree images. There is so much content in Quizmania that players will never see the same question twice.
A typical round of Quizmania begins with players launching the app on their phone. They then scan one of three marks on the game board, and Qlab sends questions to the app. These “360-questions” require players to drop their phones into a mobile VR solution, such as Google Cardboard.
Quizmania launched a Kickstarter on August 2nd. With a goal of $49,000. Supporters who pledge $35 or more will receive the game board, cards, and a cardboard headset. The campaign runs until September 2nd. Stretch goals include movie-, music-, and art-themed question packs.
Before Quizmania, Qlab team members created AR/VR content for a museum in Kazakhstan, and a Russian-language guide to Berlin called CityQuest which includes RPG-style quests.
