varcade

I’M STANDING ON the edge of a wooden plank jutting off a skyscraper 80 storeys above a city. I look down at the rooftops, streets and cars, and my hands begin to sweat. Then I hear a voice telling me to jump off the plank. I close my eyes for a second, brace myself, and take a leap – screaming as the ground rushes up to meet me. Of course, in the real world, I’m standing in a small room above a bookshop in Fitzroy. varcade is the brainchild of Owen Spear, who is also the man behind Melbourne’s firstever escape room. Participants wear VR goggles and headphones and carry one controller in each hand (which, in the virtual world, become your arms). The Variety Package is a gentle introduction to VR, where explorers dive with whales, visit Tatooine and shoot arrows atop a medieval castle. The Thrill Seeker Package gets a little more intense, kicking off with the plank scenario, then moving onto a rollercoaster ride that sees me screaming with my hands in the air. (Full disclosure: there is a zombie game, but I couldn’t bring myself to play it.) The final VR package drops participants into the middle of the world of sci-fi animated comedy Rick and Morty. ■ Rose Johnstone