Scent-Enabled Games Are Here
Have you ever wanted to smell what was going on in the video game you were playing? Whether it was a field of flowers, or a crackling campfire, or even a herd of sheep? Well, look no further, because OVR Technology has developed a way to take your gaming to the next immersive—and scent-enabled—level.
On February 18, OVR set up shop on campus and invited over seventy Champlain students to playtest their latest device, the Omara. Their goal was simple: hear directly from the gaming community about the product, understand their gaming preferences, and gauge whether they would be likely to buy it.
With five computer stations loaded with either Minecraft or Battle Suit Aces, students came and went in small groups to see just how the Omara really works.
How It Works
The Omara is a small, rectangular device that can attach to its included stand or snap onto a VR headset. Inside, scent cassettes release aromas as players encounter them within a game. OVR has developed sixteen different scents for the Omara, including favorites like Petrichor and Floral. With a focus on cozy gaming experiences, OVR caters to gamers who want something more during their play sessions.
Senior Brand Manager of OVR Alex Solverson spoke very enthusiastically about the continued development of this device. “This is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a realistic, personal scent device for digital media. Everything the engineering team’s done is pretty incredible,” he said, “The plug-ins are for Unreal and Unity, and, for programmers building scent into a game, it’s just like building sound.”
Angela Koukoulas, Champlain’s Innovation Hub Project Manager, helped put together the event for the second year in a row. “Last year, we did a playtest with them, and the goal was to have fifty students attend the playtest, and it went really well. Every single slot was filled. Students had a lot of fun talking to a company that’s actively engaged with the gaming community. OVR approached me again this year because their product is out of stealth, so we can market it and tell their story a little bit better. It looks a little different. It works better. It’s getting ready for the market,” said Koukoulas.
Our Unique Expertise
Like all new product launches, user feedback is essential to OVR at this stage to better understand consumer trends, level of demand for the product, and how they could optimize the experience. Testing with Champlain students is particularly valuable to OVR because of the large gaming community they foster, including players and designers alike. Koukoulas highlighted the unique opportunity our students have to influence real business and product developments: “Student feedback will actually lead to changes with [the Omara]. It says a lot about Champlain that OVR is looking to our students as experts in the gaming community to give them really valuable feedback and insights on their product.”
What companies like OVR often notice about Champlain students is their creative perspectives, and getting a chance to work inside the classrooms with them helps bring those insights to the table. “You always want to hear from college students about the ways they approach things, because they’re so social media native,” said Solverson.
In fact, Champlain has had a longstanding relationship with OVR, and their CEO David Stiller even serves on the College’s Board of Trustees. Over the years, the Hula-based company has engaged with our students on campus through classes, playtests, and events, including providing Champlain student teams in this year’s Global Game Jam with an Omara device to design a game around. Why? Because, “Student feedback, student development, and student perspectives are all highly beneficial to a business trying to make its start in this industry,” said Koukoulas.
They’ve also invited our students to join them at headquarters as interns and help bring their vision for immersive gaming to life. Game Programming student Jerry Kaufman ʼ26 interned with OVR over the summer to improve their Minecraft experience, which included creating correlations between the Omara scents and the game, and presenting them to stakeholders. Kaufman also helped develop a stronger overall narrative experience within their Minecraft mod—which modifies the base game—and noted that Champlain has helped him improve upon his already existing skills and experience, especially within modding Minecraft. “It was fun to bring past experience I’ve had with Minecraft, since I’ve worked with it for so long, and then be able to work within a professional setting,” said Kaufman.
When businesses work with Champlain students, it’s usually not a one-and-done deal. Champlain fosters lasting relationships that develop communities, businesses, and students’ skills for years to come. “We would love to stay involved on campus, since you are right in our backyard. Champlain has a great business school and a great game development school. We see this as a pipeline for our company’s future as well. Interacting with Champlain College and the student community just makes so much sense for us,” said Solverson.
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