DEEP

DEEP is a meditative and psychoactive VR game that is controlled by player’s breathing. Players don the Oculus Rift and a custom DEEP controller to explore a beautiful and mysterious underwater world. Allow the game to sweep you into its relaxing embrace as it teaches you yogic breathing techniques that can alleviate stress, anxiety, and mild depression. Take a DEEP breath and soar beneath the waves to meet ancient gods and other strange lifeforms.

History:

Like many people, DEEP’s Lead Designer, Owen Harris, has suffered from anxiety and bouts of depression. For the past 15 years, Owen has used meditation and breathing techniques to help manage these problems, and when the Oculus Rift first came out, Owen began making a personal meditation aid to help him in his practice. With DEEP, he sought to create a digital zen garden, a place where he could escape to at the end of a tough day, a place to unwind and relax.

Owen was surprised to learn that there was a lot of interest in the concept and began developing it for a wider audience. In the summer of 2014, after showing the work at Playful Arts Festival in Den Bosch, The Netherlands, Owen was introduced to Niki Smit. Niki’s art and ideas complemented and expanded the vision of the game. Owen and Niki are now collaborating together to build a new version of DEEP. You can learn about the development in progress here. 


In collaboration with
Owen Harris