Bookclub VR

Immerse yourself in breathtaking virtual environments and elevate your reading experience
Connect with readers worldwide and share ideas in engaging virtual book club sessions
Create your personal digital bookshelf, tailored to your unique book taste.
Bring stories to life with AI-generated visuals and inspiring discussion prompts
Use our web app to connect with Goodreads, organize your book clubs, and build your personalized bookshelf
Celebrate the joy of reading with a global community in stunning VR spaces. XR for everyone!

Inspiration

Reading has always been a deeply personal experience, but it can also be a shared adventure. With Bookclub VR, we wanted to honor both. Whether you’re curled up alone in a virtual lakeside cabin or diving into an engaging book club discussion with people from across the globe, the goal is simple: to reimagine reading in a way that feels limitless.

Imagine no neck strain while reading in bed - just pure immersion. Imagine joining a book club not limited to your neighbors or social media circles, but open to anyone who shares your passion for stories. Book clubs aren’t just for book bloggers or literary critics - they can be universal, educational, fun, and deeply insightful. With AR glasses like Ray-Ban and other emerging technologies, the future of reading is here, and we’re ready to embrace it.

Bookclub VR isn’t about replacing traditional mediums - it’s about enhancing and innovating. VR is the next step in the evolution of how we interact with stories, offering spaces where readers can connect, reflect, and engage in new ways. For those who love the solitude of a great book or the lively debates of a great book club, this app offers both. It’s reading, reimagined.

What it does

Bookclub VR reimagines how we experience books and stories. Dive in your fav book in the tranquil environment. Host or join discussions, explore creative formats, and connect with like-minded readers. With tools powered by AI, readers can visualize scenes from their favorite books, generate thought-provoking discussion prompts, and explore a new, immersive way to engage with stories or invite AI book characters to their discussions.

How we built it

The environment design was created using 3DS Max. Gravity Sketch was used to set dec. Using Unity, we created a first pass of our VR space. The 2D designs and feature mappings were created in Figma & FigJam, ensuring a balance between creativity and user-friendliness. Some feature videos were prototyped in Figma. The project was brought to life through close collaboration between passionate team members, working tirelessly to push boundaries.
For the fair submission purposes - our version 1 environment was built a little before the hackathon. It had no interface, just a 3D space in Unity. Our version 2 environment and prototypes featured in the trailer were built during the hackathon.

Challenges we ran into

Well, for starters, full-time employment of all team participants :) Setting priorities wasn't easy as well, because we have so many features in mind that are yet to be visualized. Building Bookclub VR is as much a journey of ambition as it is of improvisation. With limited time, we had to fake it until we make it -recording AI features as Figma prototypes to showcase the concept without a fully built tool.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Fully functional Unity space where people can gather (no UI interface just yet, but sound and movement are there)
Second version of the environment ready and coming soon
Clear feature roadmap and a lot of Figma designs
Half-ready and functional web app counterpart
Website design, branding, and visual direction for social media Above all, we’re proud of how the project reflects our love for books and the communities they create.

What we learned

Better done than perfect.
Exploring VR and AI showed us the incredible potential of combining technology with storytelling.
Do not ignore cool tools to make your vision real

What's next for Bookclub VR

We'll definitely continue building Bookclub VR after the hackathon, we have so many ideas.

At first, implement all the 2D interface designs into the app and update the environment to the second version.
Then, to have some book club user testing sessions (we have 50 people who signed up for beta access).
Create the possibility to see the books you uploaded to the web app on your VR shelves.
Explore AI features and run-time generation of skyboxes, images, etc.
Work on app's accessibility
Create a few bookclubs for sure :)