Virtual Nature + Games for Mental Restoration
This project is part of my doctorate work at North Carolina State University. I am combining theories on how people respond to the aesthetics of nature with game mechanics to design a restorative VR game.
In addition to the overall design, I created all the art, code, and audio. During playtests, players responded to mechanics and aesthetics in a way that is synonymous with how people respond to other forms of simulated and actual natural environments.
“Being with such peaceful colors and positive images like flowers and butterflies relaxed me and calmed me down.”
“It was really fun to play around with! Felt like playing in the woods when I was a kid…”
Project featured in Designlife Magainze and ACM SIGGRAPH blog.
Project presented at Serious Play, EDRA (Environment Design Research Association), and CELA (Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture)
Kendo VR
In 2019, I joined Logic Grip, a start up focusing on developing new experiences for VR. One of our products, the AxeOne, designed by Derek Ham, allows players to attach two VR controllers into one two handed device.
To illustrate how the AxeOne could be used for new VR experiences, I designed and developed a Kendo prototype where users could use the AxeOne to wield a two handed Kendo sword in a virtual dojo environment.
Later, the initial prototype was reworked into a training simulation with the help of a graduate student. The AxeOne was replaced with an actual shinai and users could perform practice swings which the application would evaluate and rate. The prototype was even tested by a 25 year Kendo instructor who gave us promising and valuable feedback.
Virtual San Ignacio
This ongoing project is a partnership with Archeology professor Dr. Julie Wesp and has support from the Society of Jesus. We are designing an interactive experience of the San Ignacio Church in Bogotá, Colombia. The goal of the project is to all people to experience a beautiful piece of Colombian history in both past and present times.
In the summer of 2022, we traveled to Colombia to capture the interior of the church and human skulls found buried under the floors. We are using these assets to prototype different interactive experiences such as viewing the architecture in VR and using the skull captures for facial reconstruction and using the reconstructions to create digital avatars that can tell their stories.
