Background: Through the combination of virtual reality (VR) technology with techniques from theater, filmmaking, and gaming, individuals from the Game Research and Immersive Design Laboratory (GRID Lab) at Ohio University have developed an approach to train soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and interpersonal skills which shows great promise.
Objectives: The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of VR and cinematic-VR (cine-VR). This article serves as a preface to the VR research included in this special issue.
Methods: In this article, we define VR, review key terminology, present a case study, and offer future directions.
Results: Prior research with cine-VR has demonstrated the effectiveness in improving provider attitudes and cultural self-efficacy. While cine-VR may differ from other types of VR applications, we have been able to leverage the strengths of cine-VR to create training programs which are user friendly and highly effective. Early projects on diabetes care and opioid use disorder were sufficiently successful that the team received additional funding to pursue series addressing elder abuse/neglect and intimate partner violence. Their work has gone beyond health care and is currently being leveraged for law enforcement training as well. While this article will explore Ohio University's approach to cine-VR training, details of their research including efficacy can be found in McCalla et al, Wardian et al, and Beverly et al.
Conclusion: When produced correctly, cine-VR has the potential to become a mainstay component of training for soft skill applications across a multitude of industries.
Keywords: cine-VR; soft skills; storytelling; technology; training; virtual reality.