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A Game About Nothing: Jerry's Place Puts Seinfeld In VR

What's the deal with virtual reality?

What is the story with the Jerry's Place virtual reality project? That's not the lead-in to a Jerry Seinfeld-style joke, but an opportunity to explain that Greg Miller has re-created Jerry's apartment from the sitcom Seinfeld for the Oculus Rift. It's your opportunity to sit at home, alone at your desk, and take part in The Contest. I lose every time.

There's a stand-up comedy bit from Jerry Seinfeld's post-show career where he laments about reality television, "If I wanted reality, I'd take the screen out of my TV and look through the wood box." Then he created a reality TV series. But now that's pretty much what the Oculus Rift and Jerry's Place allows you to do; to put your head inside the television and walk around an apartment that, if you're like me, you've stared at for a hundred hours.

The weirdest thing is being able to see the fourth wall. Here's what the apartment looks like without VR's double-vision.

The apartment is full of small details referencing episodes of the show, including a puffy shirt, Pez and Junior Mints. There's no game to it, but I'm already imagining a Desert Bus-style challenge which models the Chinese Restaurant, where service never comes and you have to sit and wait for as long as your patience allows. Or a procedurally generated Parking Garage, where the walls move when you're not looking and you can never find the exit.

Alternatively, just model Kramer's apartment from during the Merv Griffin Show episode and I'll be happy enough.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before other TV shows follow suit and we're able to wander around the Cheers bar, Central Perk, and other famous TV locations. Geez, what about when someone makes the library from early seasons of Buffy? I might never come back.

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Graham Smith avatar

Graham Smith

Deputy Editorial Director

Rock Paper Shotgun's former editor-in-chief and current corporate dad. Also, he continues to write evening news posts for some reason.

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