“Rising River: A VR Personal Odyssey to Your Shadow” by Zhu, Luo and He
Conference:
Experience Type(s):
Title:
- Rising River: A VR Personal Odyssey to Your Shadow
Presenter(s):
Description:
Rising River is an AI-integrated self-analysis VR experience that combines Jungian shadow theory with the VIA Character Strengths framework to offer a novel approach to therapeutic self-reflection. It began with a simple question: Can gaming and VR make the therapeutic benefits of Jungian shadow work more accessible to everyone? At its core, Jung’s theory of the shadow posits that within each person lies a subconscious aspect of the self that is neglected, suppressed, and poorly understood. Traditional shadow work seeks to facilitate an encounter between an individual and their inner shadow. Translating this concept into an interactive VR experience required designing a process of self-reflection capable of making the shadow visible by exploring players’ fears, motivations, desires, and memories. This exploration also needed a broader foundation in self-perception, both positive and negative. The VIA 24 Character Strengths framework became invaluable, offering a comprehensive taxonomy of traits for players to self-assess as relative strengths or weaknesses. With a background in filmmaking, the creative director views narrative as a tool for organizing memories and psychological structures. Research shows that storytelling helps people find meaning, construct identity, and cope with trauma. These insights shaped the integration of narrative into the self-analysis process, using VR and gamification to create a more engaging and emotionally resonant experience. Players immerse themselves in their own narrative worlds, while AI enables personalized interactions, tailoring the journey to their unique traits and inner landscape. Through this VR experience, participants revive a dark, dried-up river by offering words that reflect their inner selves, which then transform into tangible elements within the virtual world. As players feed fish with their words, their boat advances, generating new outcomes along the way. The journey culminates in the appearance of a giant fish, symbolizing their shadow and providing fresh perspectives on their inner world.
References:
[1] Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman. 2004. Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. Oxford University Press and American Psychological Association, New York, NY.
[2] VIA Institute on Character. 2023. VIA Classification of Character Strengths. https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths. Accessed: 2025-05-25.
