I think we can all agree that 2020 is shaping up to be a roller coaster of a year. Less than 4 months in an we’ve seen catastrophic wildfires, international conflict, and the global spread of a highly-infectious virus that’s ready resulted in worldwide government-mandated quarantines. So how exactly does one relax when presented with a seemingly never-ending series of global catastrophes? Why you color of course!

While still considered by many to be a children’s activity, psychological studies have identified numerous therapeutic benefits tied to adult coloring books, including stress reduction and mindfulness. Brought to us by VR developer Danny Bittman in partnership with Lighthaus Inc., Color Space takes this concept to a whole new level, immersing you in a virtual coloring book filled with 13 life-sized works of art just begging for a splash of color.

Color Space, the VR Coloring Book, is now live for Oculus. $9.99

Quest: https://t.co/sjWgE0X5Bd

Rift: https://t.co/82cuSgUs0Z pic.twitter.com/9yeV4x2T6D

— Lighthaus Inc (@lighthausinc) March 19, 2020

“We’ve been working on this thing for about 2 years, and created almost every asset for it in VR with Tilt Brush, Gravity Sketch, and AnimVR,” states Creative Director and Composer Danny Bittman in a post to Reddit. “We made Color Space to help people relax a bit, so all the music and visuals are geared towards just hanging out. We tried to include a mix of scene types for everyone, like nature landscapes, mandalas, sci-fi scenes, and one where a lady bug is as big as you.”

Using your palette and coloring wand, you can cycle through a variety of colors as you breathe life into each of these monochromatic worlds. One of the most interesting aspects of Color Space, however, are the interactive elements. As you color, the world around you comes to life with various animations, such as running rivers, rotating planets, and flying birds, just to name a few. The experience even features a dynamic soundscape that reacts to your coloring.

After spending just an hour with Color Space I can already see the numerous mental benefits this therapeutic experience could provide to those under constant stress. Shutting off your brain and aimlessly coloring intricate works of art feels incredibly relaxing, especially when immersed in VR. In a time ripe with conflict and global panic, Color Space could very well be the tranquil VR experience the world needs right now; if not a fun time-killer while under lock down.

Color Space is available now for $9.99 via Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift/Rift S. For more info on how the project came to life, check out this Twitter thread in which Bittman breaks down his workflow.

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