BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – When you’re playing a video game, you enter another world. You get immersed in the sights and sounds, but what about the smells? Creators in Burlington have created an experience where you can sniff your way into a video game.
“So we actually have created what we call malodors, so bad odors, but we’ve found that just like in the real world, people don’t want to smell bad scents,” said Director of Fragrance Innovation Sarah Socia.
Socia’s job is to formulate pleasant fragrances for video games. Using her neuroscience and chemistry knowledge, she says her scents can transport people to memories and digital spaces. It all diffuses from this little cassette that sits on top of computers.
“Scent can add immersion, can add new layers of gameplay, add new mechanics to their games,” said Socia.
Socia’s company made a demo of their product for Minecraft. Gamers can pull up to a garden and actually smell the flowers.
Ryan Catania and Caralyn Barrett attended a feedback party for the product. Gamers tested the Omara, then filled out surveys on how it could be used.
“When you’re exploring an open world, because there’s a lot of different environments that would smell different if it were real life,” said Catania.
“Or maybe a cooking game,” said Barrett.
The gamers also had ideas for how it could improve.
“If you could have something in a gaming chair that was maybe closer,” said Barrett.
“Because I feel like in most spaces when you’re gaming you’re not going to be like 12 inches from the screen, you’re ideally going to be a little bit further,” said Catania.
OVR Technologies says they took their team to zero gravity to grow their reach and learn from consumers. The company is currently working with 26 game developers to bring smells to a PC near you.
If you’re interested in playing a game where you get to smell, sniff, and experience a video game, Little Buffalo is coming out with an example of an Omara product this Fall.
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