How time flies ...

When 'The District Six VR Experience: A Walk Through Time' launched in early May 2024, it marked an important milestone for the District Six Museum, Loud Rabbits, and the Academy of Digital Arts.
Developed in about 10 weeks by South African game technology alumni, led by the head of the academy's Game & Interctive Media Development course, Lars Espeter, the VR app brought parts of District Six back as an immersive virtual reality experience for former residents and a younger generation of South Africans.

From the start, the project was about more than technical skill. It was built through close collaboration with the museum, shaped by archival material, and informed by the voices and memories of former residents. That combination gave the work both cultural weight and human responsibility. It also showed that students with the right education and support can contribute meaningfully to projects of real public significance.

A year later, that message has only become stronger.

What makes the project stand out is not only the speed in which it was developed, but what it came to represent afterwards. Shortly after launch, The Expresso Show featured the project in a national television segment with the then manager of the museum and Lars Espeter. That moment helped introduce the work to a broad South African audience and positioned the app not just as a museum initiative, but as a strong example of locally developed innovation, heritage storytelling and student capability.

Later, the District Six Museum’s own podcast revisited the project in the context of the museum’s 30th anniversary, which coincided with 30 years of democracy in South Africa. That discussion placed the VR app into a wider national conversation. It became part of a reflection on how immersive technology can raise awareness, connect younger generations to history, and create future-facing career opportunities in interactive media, game development and digital storytelling.

Other media outlets like News24 also reported on this innovative approach during the past year.

More than just a well working app

The District Six VR experience showed that good education in game technology is not limited to software training or classroom exercises. It prepares students to work in professional environments, respond to real-world challenges, collaborate with institutions, and create work that matters. In this case, the result was a public-facing project that combined technical execution with cultural sensitivity, historical respect and national visibility.

It also reaffirmed something that deserves to be said clearly: South African students, when given a strong education and the chance to prove themselves, do not stand behind their international peers. The project relied on the quality of the Academy’s teaching, the trust between partners, and the willingness to push beyond conventional expectations of what student-led work can be.

We, as a proudly South African educational institution, remain deeply grateful to the District Six Museum for their trust, collaboration and openness throughout the project. We also thank the museum for continuing to reflect on the app through its podcast, and The Expresso Show for helping put the word out to a broader national audience. That visibility gave our students the opportunity to show what they are capable of — and helped demonstrate that interactive media and game technology are a serious part of South Africa’s creative and professional future.

Watch the District Six Podcast on the impact of VR and game technology
Lars Espeter: Heritage & Technology at the District Six Museum

Watch The Expresso Show segment on the VR app
District Six to bring history to life in VR Experience

Read the News24 article on the VR collaboration here.