Prison X | UNITED NOTIONS Film & KOA.XYZ

Prison X is a virtual reality (VR) interactive immersion experience showcasing the depths of VR gaming combined with real life influenced storytelling. I consider myself a bit of a gamer but haven’t had the opportunity to test out VR technology so this would be my first chance at using it. One of the impressive things about the project is that it was completely hand drawn in VR which shows the technology’s potential as an artistic tool.

I was blown away and geeked out a bit when I put on the VR headset for the first time. Immediately you enter a unique world and are greeted by The Jaguaress who is accompanied by a jaguar on each side, before eventually you find yourself exploring a Bolivian prison based on real designs, meeting various people along the way in a surreal journey rooted in Inca and Quechau mythology and modern-day reality.

Created by Violeta Ayala, a Bolivian-Australian of Quechaun heritage, Prison X is inspired by Cocaine Prison, a documentary she made over multiple years that delves into prison life at the San Sebastian Prison in Bolivia and offers insight into the drug trade in the country.

We’re at a point in time now where VR technology is no longer a gimmick. With it becoming cheaper and more accessible to people, and more VR projects being created, Prison X not only creates an immersive open world that stands out in graphics and gameplay, but its rich storytelling and characters add an element where it transcends into art and something of meaning, a work that is multilayered and evokes emotion.

While it borrows traditional gaming elements, it also plays our as a documentary. It’s an opportunity to learn about a different culture and heritage as well as a current society in a different part of the world.

And with it being created by not only Violetta Ayala, but a team of female Andean artists and POC designers, it brings a genuine authenticity in the work that they’re sharing.

This is for anyone that is interested in virtual reality and gaming, it’s something that you’re going to appreciate on a gameplay level and the depth of the story that is being told, but even if you’re not much into gaming and haven’t checked out VR, it’s still something you might find interesting.

With the focus being on the narrative being told, there isn’t much difficulty or a learning curve, once you put on the VR googles and have the controls in your hands it becomes straightforward and immediately accessible for many people.

Prison X is a bold step in taking documentary storytelling and presenting it in a different format. I thought it worked well and I am looking forward to what Violetta Ayala and her team come up with next as they further explore this medium, as well other production companies taking influence from this and creating similar works that can explore Indigenous cultures around the world in both traditional and modern life.