Digital Media Concepts

The professorship of Digital Media Concepts helps organisations to create and test new immersive media strategies and content (VR, AR, MR). We believe in the importance of ‘lean research’ (testing while creating) using ‘media context’ as the main framework in the design of our R&D programmes. 

This professorship concentrates on understanding the added value of virtual, augmented and mixed reality media, compared to traditional media. We develop concepts and measure effects within  media contexts. In doing so we provide a framework against which organisations can create immersive media concepts and strategies designed to engage and reach audiences who move - or do not move - across different media platforms. The professorship is based on three main goals:

• Develop & test effects of realism in Virtual Reality on experience and behaviour
• Understand the role of Virtual Reality in a media context
• Explore how we can connect Virtual Reality with other media (transmedia)

R&D approach:

1. Power of comparison: we conduct many experiments in which we compare experiences and behaviour in ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ worlds, between new and traditional media. The main idea behind this is that immersive media reach audiences in the context of traditional media. 
2. Power of observation: immersive media provide the means to observe behaviour during the actual experience. We work in close collaboration with the Experience Lab (professorships of Storytelling and Leisure and Tourism Experiences), using new technologies such as eye-tracking (in real and in VR environments) and biometric measurements (e.g. skin conductance, heart rate and EEG,) during media experiences.   

Concept Creation approach:

1. Digital Enhanced Realities are designed and developed in our Cradle R&D Lab with (international) media and game experts and students.
2. State-of-the-art production technologies are used such as the innovative Virtual Production and Photogrammetry Studio, to create virtual worlds and humans.

They work in close collaboration with the professorships of Creative and Entertainment Games and Serious Games, Innovation & Society and partners such as the Chronosphere providing access to one of the few Volumetric Video studios throughout the world.

The R&D team:

• Marnix van Gisbergen

• Shima Rezaei
• Miruna Doicaru
• Fabio Campos
• Michelle Kovacs
• Raphael Velt
• Qiqi Zhou
• Alexandra Sierra
• Carlos Santos
• Wilco Boode
• Joey Relouw
• Kevin Hutchinson