The introductory paragraph prefacing this chapter succinctly outlines the challenges faced by practitioners building virtual reality workplace simulation software. These include the need to exploit the power and possibilities of a collaborative virtual environment to the fullest, balanced against the need to maintain reality; and, given that a virtual environment can only be an approximation to reality, the question, how real is real can it be?

How one goes about establishing and implementing a virtual reality operational software system is outlined, and the must/should/could/wont (Moscow) method is presented as a way to articulate clear requirements. Prioritizing, reviewing, articulating, and ensuring the completeness of the real life requirements is clearly a prerequisite to high quality software; the designers had to be cautious not to exceed the bounds of what the simulation participants (learners) would actually encounter in the workplace. The temptation to embrace the technological abilities available for the software had to be tempered by the essential needs of the real life workplace. Unlike virtual reality (VR) gaming, where players can easily be identified by icons or identifiers, workers in a real-life situation must be able to rely on their own senses to detect who is a friendly peer, and who is an intruder. These challenges are unique to a VR software project; typically, the requirements of customers can often exceed the normal abilities of the technical implementation.

The inclusion of real life situations and client case studies enhanced this piece, and the conclusions and lessons learned make this a valuable primer for those entering into the VR software development realm. Follow-up writings founded on this work or other VR works are inevitable, and will be a welcome addition to the material currently available on this subject. Overall, this was a well written, and easily digestible work.