Have you heard that BBC Radio is venturing into virtual reality radio? It’s an immersion experience into a fictional disaster, with the audience encouraged to wear VR headsets. It’s called Quake.

If you don a headset, you become the central character in a series about an earthquake in South America. The town remains unnamed and the series is character-driven, following a dozen earthquake survivors and experiencing “first-hand” the reactions they have and decisions they make at this crucial time.

You can listen to it on the BBC Radio 4 website starting May 15th! There, you’ll find an animation to go along with it, as well as a 360-degree 3D film to really create a full, immersion experience.

The series is made up of 12 audio dramas, telling 12 difference stories of 12 different people who have been caught by the earthquake. As part of the immersion experience, you’re encouraged to  choose which episode you want to listen to first, and create your own narrative.

Quake is designed as a drama, with the audio drama leading the way and textured with the added dimension of the visuals.

It’s a brilliant way to help people get prepared, because when people listen to stories, our neurological reactions are in some ways the same as if we were actually living the story ourselves, in real life! So by sharing in these experiences, we’re literally preparing our brains!

Of course, it also helps if your home is prepared too, with all the survival supplies you need!

We encourage you to check it out soon and feel free to share your feedback on it in the comments below!

-Content created by Sophie Wooding – Writer, gardener, cyclist and emergency preparedness enthusiast!