"Have You Played These Games Before?": Students Immersed in Worlds of "Squid Games" and "Stranger Things" Using VR Technology Thursday, April 9, 2026

Students in CENT 101 experienced the thrill of immersive virtual reality (VR) on a field trip to Sandbox VR, where they chose to either face off against "Stranger Things" monsters or participate in "Squid Games" challenges.

Brianne Cupp, a multimedia major in the class, is already a big fan of VR and owns two headsets, but immersive VR takes the experience to a new level. 

"I love virtual reality, and when I got the chance to experience immersive VR and learn how they made it, it made me love it even more," Cupp said. "The coolest feature was the hand and ankle tracking. We wore ankle and wristbands that tracked where we walked and moved our arms around."

Don Marinelli, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Experiential Narrative Technologies and one of the professors of CENT 101. CENT 101, a core technology course, introduces students to cutting-edge technologies and techniques for creating immersive narratives across AI, gaming, augmented reality (AR) and VR.

"Sandbox VR is a perfect example of what is meant by 'experiential narrative technology,'" Marinelli said. "VR's ability to create multi-sensory memory is immense. It is literally a dream machine."

After the class played the game of their choice for 30 minutes, they regrouped to discuss the experience and its strengths and weaknesses. Marinelli found the relentless fighting mode to become a bit "rote and repetitive," and Cupp felt the haptic vests (intended to make the wearer feel a physical sensation in a digital environment) were not effective.

Overall, however, the members of the class both enjoyed themselves and learned more about the potential for immersive technologies.

And good news — no one got trapped in the Upside Down. 

 

More About: multimedia, Center for Experiential Narrative Technologies