Cate Takes a VR Journey Back in History

Catherine Barker

By CATHERINE BARKER
Special to North Palm Beach Life
Photos: Pam and Gerry Barker

Editor's Note: Catherine Barker is a native Floridian and also our 13-year-old granddaughter. This is her account of seeing both "Colosseum" and "Napoleon" at the PBS Studios in Boynton Beach.

If you were to sit me down and lecture me about Napoleon or the Colosseum, I wouldn't be interested.

Sure, I might learn a thing or two, but it wouldn't leave me craving more. When it's fun and engaging, it grabs my attention and educates me as well. I've found that when it involves me in learning, it sticks longer, rather than telling me the facts face-to-face or reading it in a book. Going into the PBS Napoleon and Colosseum experiences, I expected a VR experience where I sat down and it took me to a place in history, as it was the last time I went to the Titanic experience. But this time was different. 

When I first walked in, there was a desk where we signed in and lockers to put our stuff down. Along with that, there was a photo booth that took your photo and generated what you would look like if you lived in the certain time periods that Napoleon and the Colosseum occurred. I enjoyed the variety of options to choose from in the photo booth along with the option to not use AI to generate your photo.   Once we put our stuff down and had our photos taken, we walked down a hallway with two paths -- one going into the Colosseum experience and one going into the Napoleon experience. 
​
The first one we did was the Colosseum. We walked into a room with screens projecting across the  walls. It was an educational video that showed us life as a gladiator living In ancient Rome. I liked how there were clear sections in the video that talked about the society living in Rome and who got to sit on each level of the Colosseum. The way the projection stretched around us made the video more immersive in my opinion, so I enjoyed that.

The video for Napoleon was similar except it was on a regular screen. Despite this, it had clear sections from start to finish, describing his coronation, meeting Josephine, and being a general. Along with the videos, there were paragraphs about Napoleon and the Colosseum, with items on display much like a museum. There was also an interactive screen showing Napoleon where if you press and hold, you can ask it a question, and Napoleon gives you an answer with the use of AI.  Me and Gigi (my grandmother) couldn't help but laugh at Gaz (my grandfather) asking him funny questions. 

While the videos and interactive features were enjoyable, my personal favorite part of the experience was the VR. We walked into a big room with people guiding us on the controls of the VR headset and what to do. Unlike the VR experience on Titanic, where you sat down and it took you on a journey to the shipwreck, we actually got to walk around with how big the room was. And to make sure we don't accidentally bump into anyone, each person who also had a headset on looked like a white outline of a mannequin from my headset. There were also boundaries to make sure we don't accidentally bump into the wall while walking around. Something I liked about the experience were the interactive features like objects you can pick up and throw with your hands. 

In the Colosseum VR experience, a little boy guided us, not only just through the Colosseum, but also showed us what an average home and a bustling market in Rome looked like. We did eventually get to the Colosseum and watched from above, viewing the other people watching the gladiators as well. I enjoyed the switch of point of view from a spectator to a gladiator, taking us from the top of the Colosseum to the center, where the gladiators fought. I liked how the experience showed us what the Colosseum was truly like, and didn't sugarcoat it by any means. It showed us what it was like to be a gladiator, and the social hierarchy that determined whether you get a better or worse view of the fight. One new thing I learned was that women could also be gladiators along with men in ancient Rome 

Compared with the Napoleon VR experience, there were not as many interactive features, but it was still very immersive, showing us Napoleon fighting in battles along with many other soldiers. It also showed us the beautiful architecture of Paris and how many iconic structures were built, one of these being Notre Dame. I liked the changing in scenery, and the amount of detail put into the experience was incredible. It just shows us how the legacy of Napoleon lived on even after his death and how it affected the world around us.

In my opinion, I loved how it felt as if you were really experiencing history rather than reading about it as we normally do. I recommend going to the PBS Napoleon and the Colosseum experiences as it was very informative and fun as well. You'll also learn a thing or two about history!

For more information, check out the PBS website.

---