While writing the questions for Alexandre Tomic, I have come to the conclusion that everybody is making demos about their VR environment however some of the aspects are still in a haze. Some might wonder what Virtual Reality(VR) really is. So, before we start the interview I would like to give a short definition of this technology.

Virtual reality is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment. On a computer, virtual reality is primarily experienced through two of the five senses: sight and sound.

The simplest form of virtual reality is a 3-D image that can be explored interactively at a personal computer, usually by manipulating keys or the mouse so that the content of the image moves in some direction or zooms in or out. More sophisticated efforts involve such approaches as wrap-around display screens, actual rooms augmented with wearable computers, and haptics devices that let you feel the display images.

Virtual reality can be divided into:

• The simulation of a real environment for training and education.
• The development of an imagined environment for a game or interactive story.
• The Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) allows the creator to specify images and the rules for their display and interaction using textual language statements.

Through many interviews and speeches over the past eighteen months, Alexandre has been showcasing the latest results of ALEA’s drive for cutting edge technology at SlotsMillion: the first real money, multiplayer, virtual reality casino.

This started at EiG and SiGMA 2015 and has continued through many conferences and news articles since. The VR world is already being touted as the next big thing in egaming and many industry magazines have featured Alexandre Tomic discussing SlotsMillion’s work.

Guess this explains a lot and I’m guessing that you are now getting excited and curious to read our interview. I will not stretch it with more introductions or details, so here goes, our interview with Alexandre Tomic, co-founder/owner at Alea.

EEG: Since VR is a trend that is growing within the iGaming industry, with more and more software suppliers looking to tap into the market, in your expert opinion, how mainstream is this technology really going to be?

Alexandre: VR has huge potential to revolutionise every industry, which means it has the potential to become extremely mainstream. Platforms like desktop, internet and mobile, all of which revolutionised technology as they developed, were virtual reality’s predecessors and each one has been accepted into wide usage at a faster pace than the last. Facebook, as Mark Zuckerberg described, is becoming increasingly immersive over time, with the popularity of text posts being overtaken by photos, videos and now 360° panoramic videos too. Virtual reality may take five or ten years to enter widespread use, especially since the goggles are still quite expensive and a high-spec gaming PC is necessary for them to work properly, which pushes the costs up – but it does seem to be the next logical step. From what we have seen, VR is always well received, and though people’s acceptance of it will depend also on the rate at which the technology develops, it seems to us that the main thing stopping VR from entering mainstream use right now is the cost.

EEG: I have seen the SlotsMillion VR Casino and after taking the goggles off, it felt like coming out of the Avatar movie. Will VR really be about more than games or do you see it enter more niches?

Alexandre: Virtual reality definitely has enormous potential in gaming, but it also has huge benefits in other areas. Medicine is one example, where it can be used to help surgeons train and patients overcome fears, and create opportunities for disabled people, among other things. It could also be useful in education, for example to provide an immersive environment free of distractions, and to enable students to virtually attend school from distant locations.

VR also has uses in tourism; in the military for training programs; when building cars to visualise prototypes; and by architects to create virtual models or view the user’s surroundings from a different perspective. Astronauts can also use it to help prepare for their trips into space or to control robots in space from Earth. Even in industries less based around technology, VR could still be a game-changer; HR managers could hold virtual meetings to interview prospective new employees, or could use VR in the training of new employees. Reducing business travel is another benefit of VR, as is offering retail customers a better experience by letting them really examine the product in question properly before agreeing to buy it. The possibilities are endless!

EEG: Can our bodies and minds really cope with VR?

Alexandre: VR offers players a level of engagement they have never experienced before, so it is natural that people are going to be concerned about its physical and emotional effects. Firstly, there is still an issue with motion sickness at the moment, as the brain perceives movement where there is none. However as the technology improves, this will hopefully become less of a problem.

Being as immersive as VR is, anything that happens while the user is playing feels so much more realistic than it does in all the other games that are out there at the moment. The player feels everything that happens in-game as though it were real, and this, though obviously heightening the player’s engagement and thus enjoyment of the game, amplifies all the negative sensations as well. This, however, is the beauty of VR – it is immersive, it is engaging, and it is ultimately as close to real life as we can get while still being able to live experiences that real life does not afford us the opportunity to enjoy. That’s what VR can offer us – a real experience.

EEG: As usual, Google is stepping up the pace commercially – so are other brands such as HTC, and recent rumours claim that Sony is working on the technology for PlayStation. Has the wild wild west era started for VR?

Alexandre: To a certain extent, yes. Everybody wants to be the company that people will look to when VR starts entering mainstream use, which means offering the best product. VR is not an unknown concept – the idea has been around since at least the eighties, and therefore it will not need as much introduction or explanation as other platforms of similar scale that have been released over the past few years, such as internet or mobile. However as previously mentioned, it is still going to be a while before VR becomes truly widely used.

EEG: As a closing question, is your session going to be fun and educative?

Alexandre: We hope so! Based on the reactions of the last few speeches and conferences, it would be a safe bet to say yes. We very much enjoy sharing the excitement of VR with both experts and those who have never tried it before; people are always very receptive to and interested in it, so it would be great to see you there to have a go as well. Come and give it a try!

Make sure you attend the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference 2016, register here for free!

If you want to hear more about VR, be sure to visit Alexandre’s panel on Wednesday(08.06.2016), where he will be holding a presentation on the following topic: Virtual reality: An innovation for the future or today’s next big thing? 

Here is a quick demo of the SlotsMillion VR Casino: