DOI: 10.4018/IJVAR.2018070103 International Journal of Virtual and Augmented Reality Volume 2 • Issue 2 • July-December 2018 Copyright © 2018, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. 38 On Being Lost: Evaluating Spatial Recognition in a Virtual Environment Tomohiro Sasaki, Future University Hakodate, Hakodate, Japan Michael Vallance, Future University Hakodate, Hakodate, Japan ABSTRACT People who have a poor sense of direction are called 方向オンチ (houkou-onchi) in Japanese. What makes those people houkou-onchi? What are the differences between people who get lost and others? In an attempt to answer these questions, three applications were developed using virtual reality (VR), informed by the literature of cognitive psychology. The applications were used to collect data about spatial recognition and to determine the essence of houkou-onchi. Experiments were conducted in which subjects (n=23) first answered a questionnaire, then participated in three applications to test their spatial recognition and psychological ability, and finally undertook a paper-based task. The data and resultant analysis found that the faster the mental rotation ability a person has, the better he/she can understand directions. In addition, people who actively engage in their surroundings also have a better sense of direction. The article details the design, implementation and subsequent experiments of the VR applications. KEywORdS Design, Japan, Lost, Oculus Rift, Spatial Recognition, Virtual Reality INTROdUCTION Nowadays, Virtual Reality (VR) has grabbed peoples’ attention around the world. Commercial VR Head Mounted Displays (HMD) have been produced by various companies such as HTC, Oculus, Sony, and Samsung. Currently, VR in Japan is mainly used for entertainment due to the possible future financial gains; for example, on the Oculus, PlayStation and Steam stores, numerous VR games are available. However, VR has a long history of being used internationally in medical research, military simulations, and education experiments. In the research detailed in this paper, using a HMD and a game engine called Unity, three VR applications were developed in order to learn about human spatial recognition. The purpose was to determine the differences between people who get lost (called houkou-onchi or 方向オンチ in Japanese) and others who don’t, using originally designed VR applications in which users explored a uniquely designed virtual city. The paper is organized as follows. First a literature review highlights the relationship between spatial recognition and mental rotation. The uniqueness of using a 3D virtual city to evaluate spatial recognition is then summarized: in particular houkou-onchi 方向オンチ in Japanese; people who get lost. Two hypotheses are offered for research. This is followed by an explanation of application development and the method utilized to collect data. Experiments and resultant data are then detailed. A discussion of results and hypothesis is followed by a conclusion, considered limitations of the research and suggestions for future work.