How virtual events and museums can be better

In the lockdown era, virtual galleries and exhibitions strive for true-to-life immersion, but they're missing one key element. The video game scene has the solution.
freeplay parallels virtual exhibition space

(This article originally appeared on GamesHub)

Now, I am visiting the Leopold Gallery in Vienna, except I didn’t come here by plane, but by mouse click. I begin smack bang in the middle of the exhibition space. It’s very pretty, but it’s also very smooth; I feel like I’m inside an architectural model. Already, any desire to explore has vanished: from the very beginning, I can see every corner of the exhibition in this open-plan space. An audio tour plays automatically as I enter each room, the sound travelling from ear to ear as I either use my mouse to click, zooming from position to position, or my keypad, which glides my POV across the floor, but turns jauntily.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Claire Osborn-Li graduated from the University of Melbourne after finishing an Honours thesis in Art History. Now she writes about video games, and where possible, examines its intersection with contemporary art and art theory.