Research
Interviews
“"If I'm not that interested in baseball, why would I want to try the batting practice app?".”
“"I like hitting and cutting things in VR, like in Beat Saber. I also like to have music because it helps me concentrate..”
“I would try the batting practice app. But if I don't want to be judged by all these rules. I just want to have fun and blow off some steam.”
Young people are losing interest in baseball
Research
Findings
MLB Game Attendance on the Decline
The global virtual reality gaming market is booming and is projected to reach staggering proportions
This is one place where the young people are...
How can a virtual reality baseball app be designed to be more appealing to young people who are losing interest in baseball and may not be interested in traditional VR baseball apps?
What are the most effective ways to leverage the unique capabilities of virtual reality to create a compelling and engaging experience for young users and inspire them to become fans of baseball?
How can the app create a sense of community and social connection among young users, and encourage them to continue playing and engaging with the app over time?
Problem
Statements
My
Solutions
· The VR baseball hitting app needs to be designed as a game that is enjoyable and entertaining for young users.
· The app should not be overly focused on rules and performance analysis, and should allow for more freedom and creativity.
· To create a sense of community and encourage continued engagement, the app should enable users to connect with each other for gameplay and competition.
· The app can incorporate unique challenges and rewards that are not necessarily part of traditional baseball gameplay, but still maintain some ties to the sport.
· Overall, the app should strive to maintain some connection to baseball, while also creating a fun and enjoyable experience that appeals to young people.
· Specifically, design a baseball virtual reality app that would have users hitting pitches in a virtual batting environment set to music while earning points for hitting balls that are within the strike zone while avoiding oncoming obstacles.
Introducing the Strike Zone, a virtual reality batting game in which players score points by hitting balls that are within the strike zone. It can be played solo, with friends, or in tournament to earn trading cards or NFTs.
The game begins at home base with a Major League Baseball player and possibly an animation character for younger players introducing the game with some coaching and fun, cute dialogue.
When the game starts, the player is offered a visual of the strike zone. Only balls in the strike zone can be batted away onto the glass field and beyond, and points are awarded by how far the ball travels. Balls outside the strike zone blow up into flowers if struck and points are taken away. Players also have to remain in the batter’s box for the batting to count.
Some of the additional challenges players must face: Avoiding the monolithic blocks and stepping into these shifting frames, all the while returning to the batter’s box in time to hit balls that are in the strike zone.
Introducing the Strikezone
Screenshots from the “Strikezone” VR game
The game launch screen is where users are presented with the option to either start or resume games, while also being able to view the leaderboard for the week's top players. Other features that can be accessed from this screen include trading cards, the ability to connect with friends, and participation in tournaments.
Game launch screens from the “Strikezonoe” VR game
The setup menu screens allow for customization of game settings such as difficulty levels, handedness, and choice of music when starting a new game.
Check out this video showcasing the 'Strikezone' VR game prototype in action.
At the start of the game, players will be at home base with a Major League Baseball player, and potentially an animated character for younger players, who will introduce the game with coaching and playful dialogue. This will give young players a chance to get to know notable MLB players and pick up tips on batting and gameplay.
Additional Features
These are a couple of possible trading cards for younger players. A survey I conducted favored the mix of MLB players and animation characters on trading cards and NFTs.
NFTs can be awarded to winners of games and tournaments, providing young people with an opportunity to become familiar with MLB players while being entertained and cherishing these unique digital trading cards.
This is also an opportunity for MLB and an entertainment company such as Disney to collaborate and cross-promote. Some of trading cards can be made rare, awarded only to the top winners of game tournaments.
To engage disinterested users in baseball, a product could be designed that offers innovative batting gameplay set to music in a low-pressure environment that emphasizes fun over performance.
When batting is gamified with new challenges set in unconventional environments and accompanied by music, adherence to rules and performance-based scoring become more tolerable to the uninitiated.
The product aims to make initial inroads into young users' attention and interest, and serve as a bridge to the sport, with the ultimate goal of converting users into fans of baseball. Follow-up research will be necessary to determine the conversion rate.