A Walk Alone: Triggering Fear and Simulating Empathy to Raise Awareness about the Dangers Women Face when Walking Alone at Night: Triggering Fear and Simulating Empathy to Raise Awareness about the Dangers Women Face when Walking Alone at Night

Abstract

A Walk Alone is a virtual reality experience that simulates what it feels like to walk alone at night as a woman. The concept is inspired by the kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman who went missing during her walk home from her friend's apartment in March 2021. It is one thing to discuss this universal issue and highlight the precautions women take when walking alone, but it is another thing to experience it. A Walk Alone focuses on displaying the vulnerability of the user by triggering multiple senses in the virtual reality environment. The experience is centered around a linear story involving (1) one night-city environment, (2) the user in first person point-of-view, (3) eerie sound design, and (5) dim street lighting.