{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T00:58:11Z","timestamp":1760144291116,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,8]],"date-time":"2024-04-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1712534400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007818","name":"StoryFutures Creative Cluster at Royal Holloway, University of London","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["AH\/S002758\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AH\/S002758\/1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007818","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Virtual Worlds"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Immersive events are becoming increasingly popular, allowing multiple people to experience a range of VR content simultaneously. Onboarders help people do VR experiences in these situations. Controlling VR headsets for others without physically having to put them on first is an important requirement here, as it streamlines the onboarding process and maximizes the number of viewers. Current off-the-shelf solutions require headsets to be connected to a cloud-based app via an active internet connection, which can be problematic in some locations. To address this challenge, we present Story Starter, a solution that enables the control of VR headsets without an active internet connection. Story Starter can start, stop, and install VR experiences, adjust device volume, and display information such as remaining battery life. We developed Story Starter in response to the UK-wide StoryTrails tour in the summer of 2022, which was held across 15 locations and attracted thousands of attendees who experienced a range of immersive content, including six VR experiences. Story Starter helped streamline the onboarding process by allowing onboarders to avoid putting the headset on themselves to complete routine tasks such as selecting and starting experiences, thereby minimizing COVID risks. Another benefit of not needing an active internet connection was that our headsets did not automatically update at inconvenient times, which we have found sometimes to break experiences. Converging evidence suggests that Story Starter was well-received and reliable. However, we also acknowledge some limitations of the solution and discuss several next steps we are considering.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/virtualworlds3020009","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,9]],"date-time":"2024-04-09T02:52:17Z","timestamp":1712631137000},"page":"171-183","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Story Starter: A Tool for Controlling Multiple Virtual Reality Headsets with No Active Internet Connection"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"3","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3797-3845","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andy T.","family":"Woods","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"StoryFutures, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"},{"name":"Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8092-2272","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laryssa","family":"Whittaker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"StoryFutures, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"},{"name":"Department of Media Arts, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Neil","family":"Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"StoryFutures, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"},{"name":"Department of Media Arts, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Robert","family":"Ispas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-9772-010X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jackson","family":"Moore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1412-0475","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roderick D.","family":"Morgan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Trajectory Theatre, StoryFutures Academy, Royal Holloway University, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"James","family":"Bennett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"StoryFutures, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"},{"name":"Department of Media Arts, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0BN, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106951","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2021.106951","article-title":"Do VR and AR versions of an immersive cultural experience engender different user experiences?","volume":"125","author":"Verhulst","year":"2021","journal-title":"Comput. Hum. Behav."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Bennett, J., Dalton, P., Goriunova, O., Preece, C., Whittaker, L., Verhulst, I., and Wood, A. (2021, August 12). The Story of Immersive Users. Available online: https:\/\/www.storyfutures.com\/uploads\/docs\/Audience-Insight-Report-Complete-1.2.pdf."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Jones, S., Dawkins, S., and McDougall, J. (2022). Understanding Virtual Reality: Challenging Perspectives for Media Literacy and Education, Taylor & Francis.","DOI":"10.4324\/9780367337032"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Whittaker, L. (2023). Onboarding and offboarding in virtual reality: A user-centred framework for audience experience across genres and spaces. Convergence.","DOI":"10.1177\/13548565231187329"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"668","DOI":"10.1162\/105474605775196535","article-title":"Some practical considerations of ethical issues in VR research","volume":"14","author":"Behr","year":"2005","journal-title":"Presence"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"453","DOI":"10.1162\/PRES_a_00310","article-title":"The disconnect between real and virtually real worlds: The challenges of using VR with adolescents","volume":"26","author":"Castaneda","year":"2018","journal-title":"Presence Teleoper. Virt. Environ."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Jarvinen, A. (2023, June 15). The Audience of the Future: The Immersive Audience Journey. Digital Catapult. 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[3rd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"Tayek, R. (2023, April 22). Android 6.0.1 Force Wifi Connection with No Internet Access. Available online: https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/q\/37218510\/960471."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Fadden (2023, March 22). Android, Screen Capture. Available online: https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/q\/26786926\/960471."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"David (2023, March 23). Signing My Android Application as System App. Available online: https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/q\/37586255\/960471."}],"container-title":["Virtual Worlds"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2813-2084\/3\/2\/9\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T14:24:56Z","timestamp":1760106296000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2813-2084\/3\/2\/9"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,8]]},"references-count":16,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6]]}},"alternative-id":["virtualworlds3020009"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/virtualworlds3020009","relation":{},"ISSN":["2813-2084"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2813-2084"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,8]]}}}