The April 8 issue of Weekly Famitsu, which was released on March 25, 2021, includes a guidebook for N and S high as a special appendix.
AdvertisementThis booklet explores the appeal of two schools: N High School, which opened in 2016, and S High School, which will open this spring.
From this spring, N High School and S High School will newly establish a “normal course premium” department that allows learning using Oculus Quest 2, a VR head-mounted display.
In the article, two VR game creators appeared and interviewed to get closer to the appeal of this Oculus Quest 2.
In this article, the full text of the interview with Mr. Mizuguchi and Mr. Takahashi published in the booklet is posted. This magazine includes all the parts that were cut due to space limitations, so it is a must-see for those who read the booklet.
Tetsuya Mizuguchi
Representative of US corporation Enhance. Released many works such as "Lumines Remastered" and "Rez Infinite" where you can enjoy the experience of "synesthesia". On November 10, 2020, the latest work "Tetris Effect Connected" was released.
Hiromichi Takahashi
Representative of Amata. He also works on the latest VR titles, including "Dokodemo Issho" (while enrolled in SCE (*)). In the latest work "Last Labyrinth", he is the producer and director.
*SCE: Sony Computer Entertainment (now Sony Interactive Entertainment)
In addition, the back number of the April 8 issue of Weekly Famitsu, which includes this booklet as an appendix, can be purchased from the following. If you are interested in N High and S High, please buy it and check it out.
Weekly Famitsu April 8 issue Purchased at ebtenA new puzzle game that combines music and video with Tetris .
This work is based on "Tetris Effect" released in 2018. Multiplayer has been added to expand the range of play.
"Tetris Effect Connected" official websitePlayers aim to escape from a mysterious building with the girl Katia who is trapped together.
The player is strapped to a chair and unable to communicate verbally with Katya. All the player can do is use the laser pointer on his head to let Katya know that he has noticed him.
If you fail to disarm the trap, you will experience a shocking death...
"Last Labyrinth" Official Site-I get the impression that many of Mr. Mizuguchi's titles use the latest technology of the time. increase.
MizuguchiI often get ideas and inspiration from new technologies. I write down ideas that say, "I want to make this kind of title when this kind of technology comes along."
- So you have a side of you that likes new things.
MizuguchiVR is a technology that I have been paying attention to since before I joined Sega, and the very first product I made at Sega was an AR (*Augmented Reality It was an abbreviation for Augmented Reality, a technology that synthesizes images into the real world) headset. I showed this at a board meeting, but it was rejected because I was told that it was too early.
- AR technology from such a long time ago!?
MizuguchiFrom the perspective of people who go to N and S, I may be from my father's generation, but since I was young, various people have continued to challenge me with directing. With the advent of VR, I think that the novelty of the image and the "technology beyond the experience" are finally beginning to become a reality.
――Mr. Mizuguchi's representative works include the "Rez" series and "Tetris Effect", but each of them has quite unique game content.
Mizuguchi As for "Rez Infinite", the original conception started with the first work "Rez". "Rez Infinite" is based on "Rez", and has a higher degree of freedom, allowing you to freely move around in the VR space. There is a stage called "Area X" in "Rez Infinite", and I'd like you to play that stage.
While comfortably flying around the VR space, sound effects will be emitted according to the player's actions. The sound effects gradually develop into music, and in the climax scene, it develops into a magnificent space like an opera. It is an adventure game where you can experience such a creative world. I think you'll be able to experience something you've never had before, so I hope you'll give it a try.
――Is “Rez Infinite” a game that could only be created in VR?
MizuguchiI thought a lot about what was unique to VR when I tuned it up, so that's really true. I feel like I was able to prove that while the gameplay has evolved, the unique experience and feel of Rez hasn't changed.
-So the underlying fun and gameplay didn't change?
MizuguchiI believe that “experiences” that have the power to move people will not deteriorate over time. The fun that lies at the heart of Rez is still fun to play now.
――Where does the source of such interesting ideas come from?
MizuguchiI don't even know myself (laughs). Game creators should want to create new emotions that come from new experiences. From the point of asking myself what it would be like if there were so many people in the world who loved music and so many people who loved games, and if there was an experience that brought these together at a high level. , the planning of my game has started.
Playing a game shakes your soul, reaches new emotions, or makes you cry. I believe that now we can express moving experiences that could not be expressed in games with low resolution in the past. So how do we do that? When I keep thinking about such things, sometimes ideas for games like this suddenly come to me.
--It really feels like "God descended". Could you also tell us about Tetris Effect?
MizuguchiOriginally there was a game called "Lumines", and if we applied the fun of that game to "Tetris", what would become possible? What happens when you add various elements to it? "Tetris" is a super-famous game that everyone knows, but if there is a game that evolves "Tetris" and makes you cry with Tetris, what kind of game is it? It begins with a question about being deaf. "Tetris" is interesting even on a black and white screen, but I wonder what it would be like if it were a 3D VR game.
I think it's hard to think of "crying at a puzzle game", but I thought it might be possible if I thought about it seriously. The sound changes into music by your own operation, and it changes by further operation. Gradually, the world begins to react to the music, and the visuals change as well. I think this is something that cannot be expressed without a certain resolution of the image.
- So this was also possible because of the technology called VR. Mr. Mizuguchi, what do you think is the appeal of VR?
MizuguchiUntil now, games were created on a square screen, but with the elimination of that frame, there is no limit to what can be expressed. That's the main attraction. In the first place, things like immersion are completely different, and if you want to invite users to a world with this much freedom and no restrictions, you have to create a game that is different from what you have done before.
I think that it will not work at all if we continue with the way of thinking of 2D games so far. We are creatures who originally live in a 3D world, so the screen of a video game that has been around for about 100 years is unnatural. With that in mind, it may be said that it has finally returned to its original form.
――How do you think VR will evolve in the future?
MizuguchiI think there will be a fusion of digital and analog. New games and services will appear as a result of the mixture of the real world and the virtual world.
――In N and S high schools, learning methods using Oculus Quest 2 will start.
MizuguchiMy first impression is that finally a VR headset with a high degree of freedom has come out at a reasonable price. I think it's what everyone says, but first of all, wireless is the best. Also, the all-in-one place where you can enjoy VR without preparing anything else is also attractive. It's a stand-alone, but the price is cheap, and the resolution and hardware performance are reasonably good, so it's amazing.
――N and S high schools are “net schools” and all classes are conducted via the internet. Mr. Mizuguchi, what do you think about the demand, benefits, and appeal of online high schools?
MizuguchiI think it's a very interesting experiment. There is a school called Minerva University in the United States, but all classes are conducted online there as well. In terms of actual classes, we do volunteer work and tour cities around the world, and the curriculum incorporates the good points of online and offline. I think that's a really cool story.
Also, I think it's attractive to be able to meet classmates anywhere in the world. There is something amazing about people from Hokkaido and people from Tokyo becoming the same classmates. While valuing the community and region where you live, you can learn in a global place called the Internet. I really like it because it feels very futuristic.
――Even from a global perspective, one of the attractions is that you can experience cutting-edge learning.
MizuguchiI think there was an opportunity like the corona disaster, but I think we are standing at the beginning of an era where the world is shifting to digital as much as possible. We are now in an age where we can meet people from all over Japan and the world, pursue what we like, and design our future life. There is a need for a sense of responsibility to discipline oneself, but I think that N and S are interesting experiments in many ways.
From there, spread your wings to the world, or contribute to the local community. I think that the range of your choices will expand, so I would like the students to do their best. I think it's amazing to be able to come into contact with cutting-edge technology, and I'd like to see the world in the future where the students of N and S are active.
――The games that Mr. Takahashi works on use the latest hardware technology of the time.
TakahashiActually, I didn't mean to do that. I think it's part of my nature to want to choose a direction in which I can create interesting things.
――What aspects of the Oculus Quest 2 do you think are the best hardware for Takahashi-san's latest work, Last Labyrinth?
TakahashiWhen I was promoting "Last Labyrinth", I felt that the hurdles of traditional VR were very high. There are various reasons, such as the need for a high-spec PC, and the need for a lot of hardware. However, with the Oculus Quest 2, you can enjoy the VR experience as soon as you buy this. This clarity has never been seen before. Also, the fact that the cable is gone is a big deal.
- So not having a cable was a big innovation.
TakahashiWhen we were developing VR games, we thought that we were unconsciously aware of the existence of cables. You have to move your arms and head carefully because there are cables, and it's troublesome to wear it because it's heavy. The Oculus Quest 2 is a completely standalone machine, so I think the comfort and the immersive feeling of not worrying about cables is exceptional.
――There is a difference in psychological resistance and comfort with and without a cable.
TakahashiIt may not be conveyed to young people, but it was like when a landline phone became cordless.
――What kind of evolution do you expect from VR equipment in the future?
TakahashiWhen it comes to the Oculus Quest, the 3D display capability increased dramatically when going from 1 to 2. In order to output 3D graphics beautifully, it is essential to improve the hardware specs, so I have high hopes for 3 as well. Besides the size and weight, I also want color variations.
――Is it a color variation?
TakahashiI think VR hardware will become like a smartphone. One per person, not one per family. It's important to make it lighter and easier to fit, but I also think that having a design that you like and being able to choose from your favorite colors will also contribute to popularization.
-I hope that eventually it will be as small as the size of glasses.
TakahashiI'm sure that will happen in a few generations. It will take some time to get back to normal glasses, but it is no longer a dream to wear slightly rugged glasses.
-Is there anything else you would like?
Takahashi AR glasses and MR (abbreviation of Mixed Reality. Technology that projects images in front of you and allows you to touch and operate them) glasses have also evolved. However, I dream that one day there will be a hardware that combines AR, MR, and VR all in one. You can switch between AR mode and VR mode.
--If that happens, the world of science fiction will become a reality.
TakahashiIn terms of software, I think there is a need for software that allows you to wear a VR headset to work in a virtual office, and virtual conferences. Various entrepreneurs are doing remote work, and their work is becoming more efficient, but the interaction between employees has decreased. I think there are quite a lot of businesses and ideas that are born from exchanges.
Also, conferences and shows have been online since last year, but in the case of real shows, you often find interesting things other than what you're looking for, and you often meet unexpected people at the venue. .
- So you're using software to supplement the good points of offline that have been lost in remote work?
TakahashiMany interesting things are born from such encounters and exchanges, so I hope that this culture will be revived somewhere.
――Please also tell us about Last Labyrinth. First of all, could you tell us about the charm of this work?
TakahashiLast Labyrinth is a game in the VR escape adventure category, where the player somehow starts out trapped in a wheelchair. I have a girl named Katia with me, but since I can't communicate with her in words, I use gestures to solve mysteries together. I think we were able to pack in the unique experience of a VR game.
――Depending on the operation, you will have a pretty shocking game over, right?
TakahashiAs a game, we focused on Katya's delicate animation and realistic communication. I think the characters are quite lively, so I think the way they die when they fail to solve the mystery will be shocking.
――Oculus Quest 2 had not yet been announced at the time of development, but how did you feel when it was announced?
TakahashiWe expected Oculus Quest 2 to be very popular with groundbreaking hardware, and that's exactly what happened. Right now, I'm excited about making a new game for Oculus Quest2.
――Could you tell us about the appeal of VR from the perspective of a VR game developer?
TakahashiAfter all, I think it's the part where you can enjoy the feeling of being there. We use words like “presence” or “sense of presence,” but I think the great thing about VR is that you can experience a sense of realism that is completely different from a flat-screen game you play on an LCD monitor.
――Is the way you make games different from normal games?
TakahashiThe biggest difference is the movie scenes and cutscenes. In previous games, movie scenes could be created like a movie, but in VR, the screen is the player's point of view, so it's possible to change scenes and project images from different cameras in front of you. I can't. In a normal game, you can close up the character's sad face here, but in VR you can't close it up. I think that VR images will be closer to theater than movies.
-I think there is a possibility that you will continue to develop VR games in the future, but do you have a dream that you would like to challenge yourself with this kind of game?
TakahashiLast Labyrinth was a game where the player couldn't move at all. If I have a chance in the future, I would like to take advantage of the Oculus Quest 2's ability to move freely without cables, and take on the challenge of developing a game that requires physical movement.
――This Oculus Quest 2 is used as teaching materials in N and S high schools. If you were a student, do you think these kinds of initiatives would have been appealing to you?
TakahashiI think it's a very interesting school. Because it's a VR space, you can see things like dinosaurs and other materials that you wouldn't normally be able to bring in, in real size. The way information is input to the brain may also be different. Textbooks say that dinosaurs are several meters long, but if you can actually see them, your interest will be piqued and it will be easy to remember. I think it would be really cool to be able to have a class like going to a museum every time in a class like history or science.
――N and S high schools are online schools, but what do you think about such initiatives, Mr.
Takahashi Lifestyles and businesses are changing rapidly, partly due to the impact of the corona crisis. Being able to study at a pace that suits you and in a style that suits you is very "suitable for the present." I think that online education is a very advanced initiative, so I hope that you will study a lot and use it in your life later. Please play our game when you take a break!