Embodied Cycles: Procedural Reincarnation and Existential Narrative in Immersive VR

Bai, Wen-Hui; Tsai, Tsun-Hung

Embodied Cycles: Procedural Reincarnation and Existential Narrative in Immersive VR

James Alexander Gordon on 4th February 2026

Author Information

Wen-Hui Bai, University of Taipei, Taiwan
Tsun-Hung Tsai, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan

Abstract

How do the circumstances of birth shape the outcomes of effort, and can such existential inequalities be felt rather than merely understood? This practice-based research presents an immersive VR experience translating philosophical reflection on life into embodied interaction. Using Meta Quest 3 hand-tracking, users traverse a boundless oceanic abyss through swimming gestures: ascent demands continuous exertion, while inaction yields gravitational descent—a procedural metaphor in which upward movement embodies perseverance and sinking represents surrender. The ten-minute experience maps onto a human lifespan, with audiovisual feedback responding to users' choices—luminous environments reward sustained effort, while desaturated darkness accompanies decline. Central to the work is a reincarnation system in which one's ending determines the next cycle's starting conditions: a triumphant conclusion initiates an “easier” life with reduced resistance, whereas a descending end produces a “harder” existence requiring greater effort for equivalent progress, rendering systemic inequality tangible.The work positions VR not merely as a visual medium but as a site where meaning emerges through bodily engagement and algorithmic consequence. By embedding existential metaphors within interaction mechanics, environmental narrative, and cyclical structure, this project examines how procedural systems can articulate philosophical propositions through felt experience, inviting users to discover personal meaning through embodied choice.