Sea Soul: A Virtual Reality Experience Bringing Fun and Wellness Together. Balcerak, Sabrina, 2023. Capstone Paper, University of North Carolina Wilmington. Purpose: The aim of this project is the creation of Sea Soul, which brings fun and wellness together in an immersive virtual reality (VR) game environment by the sea. The goal is to target users of all ages and abilities and to promote the well-being benefits that VR can provide. Background: The major findings of this research explore the physical, mental, and educational benefits of VR. Engagement in VR is shown to decrease for older adults; however, it is increasing for use in senior care, so Sea Soul is designed to appeal to a wide range of users. Methods: Usability was tested with user experience survey results that have a quantitative rating scale, with success being middle to high on the rating scale. Qualitative data was obtained through open-ended questions on the survey. Results: Sea Soul was designed and developed. User testing was performed, and feedback obtained used a 5-point Likert scale, with 1 being the lowest-rated option and 5 being the highest-rated option. The survey results showed the mean value being over 4.20 for all user responses. Discussion: Quantitative data over 4.20 supports that Sea Soul usability results meet the success criteria of having a mean value of middle to high on the rating scale. User testing was limited because a full-fledged range of age groups did not participate. Conclusion: The working VR application model of Sea Soul infers that fun and wellness can be brought together to promote well-being benefits for users of all ages and abilities.

Recommended Citation: Blacerak S., Pence T., Cummings J., Matthews K., (2023). SEA SOUL: A Virtual Reality Experience Bringing Fun and Wellness Together. UNCW MS CSIS Proceedings. V. 17 , N. 20 .