This is an idea that has been brewing for the last few years, quietly waiting for the technology to mature to the point where it can be effective. A massive step forward was the introduction of Google Cardboard, which democratises access to virtual reality since anyone with a half-decent smartphone can dive in, with the addition of a cheap piece of hardware that can either be bought for under £10 or made for under £5.

​The second change has been the growing body of evidence that action changes thought, rather than the other way around. This is important for everyone working in behaviour change since it means that we need to find alternatives to talking therapies which are not always effective.

​Virtual Reality allows us to offer roleplay, projection, rehearsal and anonymous groups, all of which we believe will help change the mindset through the practising of new, sometimes daunting behaviours. People with phobias have already found VR to be a safe place for them to practice and de-sensitise towards stimuli including heights, spiders and snakes.

The MasterChange vision is to create an explorable world where people can go to help them stop bad habits and start good ones. Personalised experiences, filtered content accessible through unique interactions with the software.

The more the person tells us, be it their weight and height, how many cigarettes they smoke, weekly alcohol limits or annual income, the more our world will personalise their experience based on the challenges they face and the behaviours they want to address.

This will rely on two distinct but inter-related parts. The virtual explorable world which will change based on the individual, displaying or hiding content based on their aims and objectives. The second part consists of the 3D video content. These are the immersive experiences with experts in their fields, unique content.

Brands, charities and government will be able to sponsor content or create whole experiences within The World of MasterChange; everything is possible

Reducing the impact of preventable diseases caused by lifestyle choices including smoking, alcohol, high blood pressure, cancer screening, mental health challenges and diet by creating:

An expandable and configurable VR world dedicated to hosting content to help people start good behaviours and stop bad ones

A platform to enable 3rd party non-technical partners, e.g. HCPs and Local Authorities to create content, zones and entire programmes to assist our audience in making positive changes in their life

The key to any digital system that looks to change behaviour is to ensure a reservoir of content, tagged at a granular level, so each person ends up with an optimal, relevant and personalised experience depending on their situation and the behaviour they want to change.

The platform will be an aggregator for content creators that is also revenue-generating/cost saving in order to help the most number of people.