GREENFIELD — After strapping on the helmet and handheld controllers, the sights and sounds can warp the user into a new adventure every second.
The experiences are limitless: An interactive underwater exploration on the coral reef, a tour of the Louvre museum in Paris — or maybe a gamer wants to be thrust into the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Whether it’s blasting aliens with a ray gun or climbing along the Roman Coliseum, the explorer can do what he or she likes and never leave the room.
Evolution VR is a state-of-the-art virtual reality arcade. It will open its doors at Greenfield’s Melody Plaza to the public in late February, said manager Samual Montgomery. Visitors will be able to enjoy virtual simulations that show off the best experiences the world of gaming technology has to offer, he said.
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Evolution VR is the latest project Greenfield-based Pride Investment Partners has tackled, said Stephanie White-Longsworth, partner in the real estate and equity investment firm. Pride hopes the unique arcade experience — one of the first facilities of its type in Indiana — will draw plenty of attention to the growing area by 1797 Melody Lane.
It’s always a good thing for a community to have different activities to do in town, White-Longsworth said. Evolution VR is a unique and promising investment opportunity, and the firm is looking forward to seeing what kind of traffic it brings to Melody Plaza, she said.
“Virtual Reality really allows you to enter into any world, almost literally,” Montgomery said. “Whether you want to fight zombies or go fight orcs with a crossbow.”
If grandma and grandpa want to take their grandchildren to the VR arcade, there will be something there for anybody of any age, he said.
“This also can take you to just go walk around in the old neighborhood you grew up in,” he added. “Maybe you want to revisit that place you went for vacation years ago, and you haven’t been there since. We can take you there.”
The master list of games offered hasn’t been chosen yet, but there will be a wide variety of experiences available, Montgomery said. In addition to standard VR arcade entertainment, the business also will have the capabilities to use its tech for school projects; it will be able to offer in-depth tours of famous museums and historic sights, giving Evolution VR potential to be a first-of-its-kind educational experience, he said.
Test groups have tried vintage arcade classics re-modeled for a VR headset, immersive first-person shooters and everything in between. So far, the business has been able to find a mix of experiences to appeal to a wide range of people, he said.
“It’s really hard work playing games all day, but somebody has to do it,” Montgomery said with a laugh.
There is a place at Evolution VR for hardcore gamers, VR veterans, first-timers, children and the elderly, Montgomery said. Lately he has been conducting research on how to modify the VR experience for people with disabilities so they can do whatever they want, he said.
“I’m pretty confident that this place will be a game changer,” he said with a grin.
