Titan Sub Owner OceanGate Used This Video Game For Training

The tragedy of the Titan submersible implosion that took place in June 2023 is still fresh on everyone’s minds even almost two months after it happened. There have been many Internet memes about how Titan submersible owner and marine company OceanGate used a modified Logitech f710 game controller to control their subs. Now, it looks like OceanGate actually used a sim game, Second Life, to train its employees.

Speaking with LBC UK, an OceanGate representative said:

“We chose Second Life as our medium for this tour because it allows us to design high fidelity interactions between our audience, the submersible and the underwater environment. Our virtual environment gives our audience a strong sense of social and spacial presence through their interactions with the environment and their ability to communicate with one another in parallel.

OceanGate can use this virtual environment to teach trainees about the possible physical applications for the Cyclops 1…and learn how to operate the submersible vehicle.”

The reason why OceanGate is using Second Life is because it helps reduce the cost of training crew members, which would normally cost up to US$20,000 per day. Second Life is an online simulation video game that allows people to create an avatar and interact with other users and user-created content within a multiplayer online virtual world. It was developed by the San Francisco–based firm Linden Lab and was originally launched on 23 June 2003 over two decades ago.

In fact, anyone can actually buy the experience on the Second Life Marketplace (here’s the link), which costs US$350. In the simulation, users can simulate a scavenger hunt using the OceanGate Titan submersible.

You can check out the experience in action below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fL7D_4IVxY&ab_channel=Doomed