Walking in the virtual shoes of a cop
We worked with New Zealand Police to create a recruitment experience like no other. Virtual Cop takes users into an interactive gamified day-in-the-life of a New Zealand Police Officer.
Challenge
New Zealand Police find they get more out of recruitment events if people attending are motivated to speak with cops and ask questions. They asked for our help creating something that would genuinely engage people in the world of policing, encourage conversation, and serve as a vehicle to help drive recruitment — with women as a key audience.
Solution
The Police team came to us with an important note: that experiences play a huge role in helping women determine whether becoming a cop is a path they’re keen to explore. Giving our audience a real Police experience would be tricky for a number of reasons — safety, geography, and expense to name a few. So we created Virtual Cop, a virtual reality world that lets people participate in common policing scenarios using a VR headset or their mobile phone.
Authenticity was paramount, so we focussed on community aspects of policing rather than the cliche of car chases and blaring sirens. Interactive action takes place in a realistic setting that feels immersive and resonant for a Kiwi audience, complete with heat pumps and wheelie bins. We brought this project to life through live action film, motion capture, character creation, custom environments and sound design, working with real officers to capture motion and voiceover.
Impact
Our Police collaborators see the experience as a useful tool for maintaining engagement with a broad range of people who are now able to imagine in more detail what a Police career might look like for them.
