A podcast about VR game design.
Tune in every two weeks to hear two VR developers talk about the exciting new medium of Virtual Reality. Expect design insights, technical breakdowns, and hot takes that are sure to get angry comments!
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Episodes release every other Wednesday, with occasional bonus content on off-weeks.
Episodes
Episode 4: Hypersports
Get your angry comments ready! We talk about why Until You Fall is more realistic and immersive than Boneworks or Blade and Sorcery.
Some VR games, like Echo Arena and Blaston, are closer to being sports than they are to being videogames. We feel these ''hypersports'' have the potential to catch on as mainstream sports in a way that e-sports will never be able to. But how do we know if a game is a hypersport? And what is stopping hypersports from going mainstream? Tune in to hear us pick apart these issues.
Timestamps:
1:01 - What is a Hypersport?
4:06 - Why are sports popular?
5:37 - Why aren’t Hypersports catching on?
14:39 - Subculture and MONEY
18:55 - Summary
Game Link:
Music:
Furious Freak by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3791-furious-freak
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Inspired by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Short episode this week! But we made up for it by releasing a super-long bonus conversation last week.
I hope everyone’s December holiday’s went well. Next episode we’ll be recommending games for all the new Quest owners from this Christmas.
BONUS - How to Lose Friends and Alienate Users
A frustrating attempt to play VR with friends spirals into a discussion of friends lists, rooms, lobbies, and social spaces.
A frustrating attempt to play VR with friends spirals into a discussion of friends lists, rooms, lobbies, and social spaces in this bonus episode. We discuss the issues and possible solutions when you just want to play with your dang friends.
If last Christmas is anything to go off of, a lot of people are going to be getting headsets this December. But you know what makes an even better gift than a VR headset? The gift of HEAD MOUNTED DESTINATIONS! Share the podcast with someone close to you this Christmas as an act of true holiday spirit!
Episode 3: Intent to Kill
Get your angry comments ready! We talk about why Until You Fall is more realistic and immersive than Boneworks or Blade and Sorcery.
We rave about Until You Fall and investigate why its take on melee combat is so much more compelling than those in Blade and Sorcery and Boneworks. The physics-based simulationism of Boneworks seems super popular on Twitch, Twitter, and Reddit. Why are we championing a cartoony, abstract approach and saying it is more realistic and immersive? Listen to find out!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Topic Introduction
4:07 - Until You Fall overview
19:38 - GORN and Boneworks
23:41 - Pros and Cons to each approach
34:45 - Physics in Combat vs World Interaction
Game Link:
Other things we mention:
Music:
Furious Freak by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3791-furious-freak
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Inspired by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Welcome to the post-show notes! This was a fun one. We rag on Boneworks all the time, so it was very cathartic to put that into podcast form.
Episode 2: Ghost On The Water
We study Phantom: Covert Ops for lessons on immersion, fantasy fulfillment, and grounding players in a virtual space. It’s time to get grounded!
Why do players become immersed in games? And how do developers keep players grounded in completely fake, virtual worlds? We pick apart the mechanics, narrative, and level progression in Phantom: Covert Ops to shed light on how design choices and technical implementations impact player immersion. It’s time to get grounded!
Timestamps:
1:25 - Storytelling
5:45 - Locomotion and Spatial Presence
15:57 - Weapons and Equipment
30:30 - Levels and Progression
36:18 - World Interaction
43:20 - Oculus Quest and Market Analysis
Oculus Store Links:
Other things we mention:
Music:
Furious Freak by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3791-furious-freak
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Inspired by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This is the end of the show notes! The post-show notes? Sometimes you can find silly stuff here, but only right here on the website!
BONUS - About Us
In this bonus bit, we explain who we are and why you can trust our opinions on Virtual Reality. We also wax poetic about the future of VR and the joys of working in the field.
In this bonus bit, we explain who we are and why you can trust our opinions on Virtual Reality. We also wax poetic about the future of VR and the joys of working in the field.
How’s everyone doing? Most of our bonus content will be silly side conversations, but this week we wanted to provide an answer to anybody asking “Who the heck are these guys, and why should I listen to them?” We didn’t want to cram it into the first episode (boring!), so we are releasing it as a standalone bonus ep.
Episode 1: Low Hand Confidence
We discuss Hand Tracking on the Oculus Quest and try it out in Elixir and Waltz of the Wizard.
In this episode, we discuss our experience using Oculus Hand Tracking in the titles Elixir and Waltz of the Wizard. How responsive is it? How well is it utilized in the two titles? How is it used outside of games? We answer these questions and more!
Timestamps:
01:10 - Oculus Quest Hand Tracking Beta Impressions
11:12 - Elixir
23:30 - Waltz of the Wizard
36:09 - Carlos learns to snap
46:40 - What is the future for Hand Tracking?
Oculus Store Links:
Other things we mention:
Music:
Furious Freak by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3791-furious-freak
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Inspired by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This is the end of the show notes! The post-show notes? Sometimes you can find silly stuff here, but only right here on the website!