Building Next-Gen Games for PlayStation VR2 with Unity

Tilt Five uses AR-enabled glasses and a unique controller to breathe life into our favorite table-top board games.

I also walked around the GDC Expo Hall and saw innovative games with alternative control schemes. The artistry and creativity on display really encouraged me to find new and novel ways to play.

The MAW: Safely Multithreading the Deterministic Gameplay of ‘Age of Empires IV’

Understanding Developer Challenges with Localization, Player Support, and More

My pick isn’t from day four but rather the end of day three. Annie, the executive producer at Amebous Labs, joined the TransPerfect panel with host Alexander Fletcher (Global Director, TransPerfect Gaming Solutions) and co-panelists Xavier Marot (Director of Production, Focus Home Interactive) and Ninel Anderson (CEO, Devoted Studios).

Together, they shared an insightful discussion regarding how developers can create a seamless experience for players from all over the world. Ninel suggested tapping into the community of players that speak the language you’ve translated your game into and trading them game keys for feedback. Taking this step will not only help the developers, but it will make the players feel heard as they offer advice on how to appropriately translate content for their audience.

Annie shared ways to avoid using text in virtual reality, as it is inherently difficult to read large amounts of it in virtual reality. She suggested using iconography and visual diagrams to assist the player in successfully maneuvering throughout a VR game.

Hardware Demo: Tilt Five

Amy and Pierce play an AR board game on the Tilt Five.

We got to have a private demo of Tilt Five, an augmented reality wearable for tabletop games. The weight of this device was lighter than other HMDs and the field of view is impressive (especially for the weight). I think we’ll be putting an order in for a couple of these so that we can experiment with creating content for this device!

The Fine Line Between Difficult and Impossible: Adventures in VR Development

Three Opportunities to Improve Character Design in the Games Industry

The expo show floor opened up today with so much to see and do, but I made it a point to attend Jessica Tompkins’ talk on character design. She shared her findings and ideas regarding how developers can be agents of change at their game studios and improve representation in video games. 

She suggested focusing on motivation driven design rather than designing for demographic parameters, going beyond being an ally and actually pushing for change by acting and advocating, and, finally, opening up the conversation while future game industry professionals are in school — it is not a conversation that higher education should be timid about having. Taking these steps will help to push the industry forward and be more welcoming of underrepresented gamers and game developers.

Hardware Demo: Speech Graphic’s Facial Animation Tool

Chan and I got to demo Speech Graphics’ audio-driven facial animation tool. It was fantastic seeing how their product creates extraordinarily realistic face and mouth movements from just a single audio file. Tools like these will be monumental in expediting production pipelines, so I can’t wait to try this for some of our future VR projects.

Serious Games Roundtable

Matthew Lee (Chair, IGDA Serious Games SIG) chats with developers about various styles of game design in a roundtable discussion.

I had the absolute privilege of attending the Serious Games Roundtable on the third day of GDC. I admit I was not familiar with the roundtable format when I walked into the room, so I was very surprised to see a bunch of tables lined up in a circle. Each developer took a seat at the table and a live mic was passed around so that everyone who wanted to talk had an opportunity to do so. 

As a lifetime lover and admirer of both serious and educational game design, it was interesting to hear insights and thoughts from fellow developers. While I recognized a few terms tossed around during the discussion, I learned several new phrases and ideas that I absolutely adore and would love to start using regularly.

Game Economies: An Economist’s Perspective

I also attended a talk regarding in-game economies presented by Christopher Smith, the chief economist at Metanomic Ltd. He explained economic theories and concepts that should influence your game design. While most of it went over my head, I thought the talk was incredibly informative, especially considering our studio is currently supporting Loam Sandbox with post-launch content.

As a lifelong admirer of both serious and educational game design, it was interesting to hear insights and thoughts from fellow developers. While I recognized a few terms tossed around during the discussion, I learned several new phrases and ideas that I absolutely adore and would love to start using regularly.

Understanding Developer Challenges with Localization, Player Support, and More

Annie shares VR game development problems and the best ways to tackle them.

During day three of GDC, Annie also joined Alexander Fletcher (Global Director, TransPerfect Gaming Solutions), Xavier Marot (Director of Production, Focus Home Interactive), and Ninel Anderson (CEO, Devoted Studios) on the GDC Industry Stage for a panel discussion exploring real-life game development issues and scenarios.

Art Direction Summit: Building Night City

My favorite session of day two was presented by the lead environment artist at CD Projekt Red, Kacper Niepokólcyzcki; his talk was centered around the creation of Cyberpunk 2077‘s environments. My main takeaways were to think about how you can evoke emotions through the design of the environment from the very start. 

Although it may lack color and feature very limited detail, the earliest stages of your environment design should still make you feel something. The following steps of the design process should continue to strengthen that feeling you want the player to experience while playing your game. If it doesn’t, then you will need to re-iterate until you hit upon an environment better aligned with your game’s core pillars. When you are making design decisions, you should always stop and ask yourself (or your team) “WHY?” If the answer is vague or unclear, then the concept needs to be worked on.

Future Realities Summit: How NOT to Build a VR Arcade Game

On my second day of GDC, I went to an awesome panel covering VR arcade games: the dos, don’ts, trials, and tribulations. Michael Bridgman, the developer hosting the presentation, has made incredible VR experiences, and he discussed a few tricks to help mitigate major causes of motion sickness in virtual reality. While some of it isn’t applicable to the kind of development that we do at Amebous Labs, I think he shared many interesting things worth looking into.

Day two also presented me with a chance to use the HTC Flow and the HTC Focus. The XR industry often focuses on the Oculus Quest and to a lesser extent the Vive Index, so it was very lovely to use some alternative headsets. I want to give more attention to the HTC Flow which is a lightweight VR system that takes advantage of your phone’s processing power to reduce the overall size of the headset. Five minutes with it on and I was already trying to formulate ideas for how we might use it (and how I would convince Annie to buy it…)

Meeting HTC Vive’s Developer Community

Annie tries out the HTC Focus 3’s new wrist trackers.

It was great to meet more people in the HTC Vive developer community! On day two, I got to see the new Wrist Tracker device for the Vive Focus 3. It was great to see how this hardware has enhanced hand tracking and reduced issues with occlusion.

Machine Learning Summit: Walk Lizzie, Walk! Emergent Physics-Based Animation through Reinforcement Learning

Jorge del Val Santos (Senior Research Engineer, Embark Studios) highlights a new method for animating digital assets—machine learning!

The traditional way of bringing digital assets to life consists of first rigging and then animating them, but machine learning agents (ML-Agents) present a new, physics-based option. Using a reinforcement learning approach to automatic animation, developers can bring life to creatures and critters with the click of a button — no animators involved. With that said, a fair few challenges accompany the benefits of this technique, so it may not always be the best fit for your game.

One of the greatest challenges to this technique is reward structure; because ML-Agents will be rewarded no matter how they move, they might end up learning to walk in unintended ways. For example, mixups in reward structures can cause a creature to walk using an arm and a leg because there was nothing in place disfavoring that. Another weakness of this physics-based model of animation is authorship or, in other words, your ability to bring character to your creations. At the moment, there’s no clear way of training your monsters to be scary or move intimidatingly.

Future Realities Summit: How NASA Has Translated Aerospace Research into Biofeedback Game Experiences

It was fascinating to see how NASA’s advanced biofeedback device research has been integrated into games. As the technology advanced, biofeedback was used to do psychophysiological modeling in virtual reality. The ability to track one’s heart rate and frontal alpha has produced more effective conflict de-escalation training, leveraging biocybernetic adaptation. Applications utilizing this technology have also helped researchers further understand the brain functioning of individuals with autism and ADHD.

Animation Summit: Animation and Customization in ‘The Sims 4’

Yusun Chung (Lead Animator, Electronic Arts) analyzes aesthetic considerations and implementation workflows necessary to create animations for customizable characters, clothing, and interactable objects.

Pierce and I attended a great session covering the animation and customization in ‘The Sims 4’. This was especially of interest due to our future goals of implementing customization in Loam Sandbox. It was helpful to learn about the importance of object variety when an asset type must feature animations or interactivity. By setting parameters for artists, an asset’s core interactivity can stay the same for variants while the outer shell can be as creative as the artist wants.

Future Realities Summit: Up Close & Virtual – The Power of Live VR Actors

Alex Coulombe (Creative Director, Agile Lens: Immersive Design) details the techniques, tools, and technology he uses to create compelling VR shows.

I attended a panel called Up Close & Virtual presented by the CEO of Heavenue, Alex Coulombe. He discussed his company’s experience creating a live VR theater performance. In his performance of the Christmas Carol, various techniques and technologies combine to create a one-man show for audiences to enjoy in VR. I was absolutely impressed by the idea and I wouldn’t mind exploring more of it in the future. We could be seeing the creation of a new type of theater that is solely unique to VR!

Future Realities Summit: Hands Best: How AR & VR Devs Can Make the Most of Hand Tracking

Brian Schwab (Director of Interaction & Creative Play Lab, LEGO Group) and John Blau (Game Designer, Schell Games) share their philosophies for designing hand tracking in VR.

VR game development forces you to reframe the way you think about your hands and the many ways you use them to interact. It was interesting to hear John and Brian refer to hands as systems through which we attain information about the things around us by reaching out and touching or gauging distance.

There are so many different factors to keep in mind when designing and implementing hand tracking for your VR apps such as user comfort, cultural differences, and the tracking complexity of your experience. However, as a general rule of thumb, developers should first identify the type of experience they want to create before they begin designing any hand tracking for it. Once you’ve realized this, choosing a combination of interaction models to match your goals can become a less overwhelming process.

Visual Effects Summit: How to (Not) Create Textures for VFX

Simon Trümpler emphasizes how using photos and third-party assets saves time when making textures.

Many artists feel like creating new textures for visual effects using existing photos and third-party assets is cheating, but Simon dispelled these common beliefs and showed us how we can take a base asset and customize it in a way that makes it our own. His advice was to focus on getting assets to the “good enough” stage because, if you find additional time later on in the game development process, then you can fine-tune them to have increasingly customized looks.

One of my favorite tricks he demonstrated was taking a picture of a forest, flipping it upside down, bumping up the contrast, then combining it with other water effects he had already created. The result was a waterfall that appeared to have ripples and movement. Had he painted each line by hand, it would have taken significantly longer to create. He wrapped up the talk by encouraging artists to share their expertise and learnings on social media using #VFXTexture to streamline the texture creation process for fellow artists.

When you share your feedback, suggestions, and bugs with us in Discord, they’ll eventually make their way onto the board’s “Player Feedback & Suggestions” list in the form of a brand-new card. Depending on their priority, these cards will move to the “To Do” list, then to” In Progress,” before finally earning a spot on the board’s “Done” list. As we wrap things up and roll out Loam Sandbox updates, we’ll also share what has changed via our Discord’s #release-updates channel.

Click here to visit the Trello board and track Loam’s development in real-time.

From the start of development in early 2020, Loam’s goal has been to give players the ability to enter a comforting world where they can relax and express their creativity. However, just like the seeds available within the game, Loam is constantly growing; Amebous Labs is requesting player feedback to ensure that all future updates and downloadable content are as positive as possible. Let us know what you want to see more of by commenting in the #feedback channel of our Discord server. And check out our public roadmap to see what features we are working toward adding to Loam Sandbox next.

It’s time to dust off your gardening gloves—Loam Sandbox is available now exclusively on the Meta Quest platform for $14.99. Download Loam Sandbox for your Meta Quest or Meta Quest 2 headset!

Developers should determine their app’s ideal distribution channel as early as possible.

As you prepare your work for release, the distribution channel you will use to house your game is a significant decision you’ll need to consider as early as possible. Your decision will directly determine how much time and effort you’ll need to spend optimizing your game to run in accordance with various VRCs. Developers tasked with getting their work published and accessible via Quest headsets are presented with the following three different distribution options, with each offering unique advantages and disadvantages for your apps release: the Quest Store, App Lab, and SideQuest.

SideQuest enables users to sideload your apps to their headsets.

Please note, there are other distribution avenues for your VR games, but this blog will focus solely on platforms accessible by Oculus Quest headsets. Other platforms will offer different distribution options with different submission processes.

The Quest Store

Of the three available, the Quest Store features the most rigid and demanding set of requirements that your app must meet in order to be published. Despite that, we recommend this route for developers publishing finished games they feel confident in; the Store offers unique and valuable advantages that will help your game find greater success such as excellent accessibility, little competition, and opportunities for organic discovery. These advantages, however, come at the cost of spending a significant amount of time optimizing your game to earn Oculus’ direct approval.

As far as app submissions are concerned, the Quest Store is characterized by its stringency. Apps distributed via the Store must comply with a whole host of requirements set forth by Oculus that ensure everything listed on the Store is of consistently high quality. Although several checks are merely recommendations, these checks span eleven different categories ranging from performance and functionality to security and accessibility.

The Quest Store’s quality-first mentality makes for a strict submission process, but it also reduces the potential competition your app will face should it earn Oculus’ approval. As of writing, there are only about 300 games listed on the Quest Store—less than half the amount available on App Lab, meaning Quest users browsing the Store are far more likely to organically find your app than users browsing App Lab’s library via SideQuest. The Quest Store is deeply integrated within Quest’s user-interface, so this channel also provides the easiest option for users looking to download and play games.

The Store reviews app submissions on a first-come, first-serve basis and has varying review times dependent upon the number of submissions at that time. A solid estimate is four to six weeks, but it’s worth noting there have been instances of developers waiting as long as three months or as little as two weeks.

App Lab

Games and apps published through App Lab are searchable in both the Quest Store and SideQuest. Think of this distribution channel as a happy medium between the Quest Store’s strict approval process and SideQuest’s comparatively lackadaisical approach to reviewing app submissions. That said, App Lab faces its own set of drawbacks; while this distribution avenue offers a more accessible means of entry, it also faces increased competition and minimal organic discovery.

App Lab titles are browsable via SideQuest, but these apps can only be found within the Quest Store by searching their full title exactly.

While App Lab submissions must abide by Oculus’ VRCs, several checks have been relegated from requirements to recommendations, making App Lab far more likely to approve your app than the Quest Store is. App Lab submissions are also reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis and, although review times will vary, these windows are generally quicker than those of the Quest Store.

App Lab’s more straightforward approval process means that its library is growing far quicker than that of the Quest Store. With a current catalog comprising over 500 games and new ones being added every day, apps distributed via App Lab without any congruent marketing plan run the risk of sinking in this vast sea of options. Although SideQuest allows users to browse through the entire App Lab library freely, the Quest Store will only show these titles if you search their entire names precisely as listed. For example, searching Pavlov Shack through the Quest Store will not yield any results, but searching Pavlov Shack Beta will. Because so few people will naturally stumble across your App Lab game, you bear the responsibility of making sure your app gets seen.

SideQuest

SideQuest is essentially a giant, third-party store for Oculus Quest. It enables you to sideload games and apps onto your headset, provided you have access to a computer or mobile device. This distribution channel is the least accessible of the three as it also requires users to have their headsets in developer mode. However, unlike the Quest Store and App Lab, SideQuest submissions do not need to be approved by Oculus directly. Instead, these games and apps undergo a simpler, quicker administrative process that does not require your game to comply with any VRCs. SideQuest provides the quickest route for developers to share new builds with team members, playtesters, or friends.

Virtual Reality Checks to Keep in Mind

Getting an app approved by Oculus is easier said than done. Therefore, developers should be mindful of key VRCs as early as possible in order to ensure that major game design decisions are made with Oculus’ high standards in mind. After having undergone much of the optimization required to ready Loam Sandbox for official release, let’s briefly explore each of the eleven categories listed within the Virtual Reality Check guideline. This high-level overview of the requirements and recommendations will only apply to prospective Quest Store and App Lab games and apps.

1. Packaging

Packaging VRCs exist to ensure that every app available in the Quest Store and App Lab adheres to Oculus’ app packaging and formatting standards. There are six different required checks within this category regardless of whether you are submitting to App Lab or the Quest Store. One requirement, VRC.Quest.Packaging.5, requires that every submission be formatted as an APK file and smaller than 1 GB in size.

For a detailed look at the requirements that your app’s APK file must conform to, visit here.

2. Audio

The only Virtual Reality Check within this category is VRC.Quest.Audio.1, an optional recommendation for your app to support 3D audio spatialization features. Though not a requirement, incorporating audio spatialization within your game will mean that your app’s audio output will change as the user’s positioning does. We recommend that you consider implementing 3D audio within your games because doing so will add an immersive gameplay element, positively impacting player experiences.

3. Performance

Performance VRCs exist to ensure that the gameplay provided by titles available for Quest is of consistently high quality. This category comprises two App Lab requirements or three Quest Store requirements that concern your app’s refresh rate, runtime, and responsiveness.

Adhering to these checks can be difficult, thankfully there are several tools, such as the Developer Hub, that will enable you to accurately track the performance and overall functionality of your Quest apps. VRC.Quest.Performance.1 requires all App Lab and Quest Store listings to run at specified refresh rate minimums of 60 Hz and 72 Hz, respectively. You’ll want to keep this VRC in the back of your mind as you develop your game because its performance will benefit greatly from finding alternatives to CPU-intensive design choices.

We suggest using transparencies sparingly; whenever we made too many of Loam’s colors or textures see-through, we would experience drastic dips in frame rate. We also noticed that rigging critter skeletons within Unity would create a similar effect. To hear art optimization insights directly from our team, visit here.

We recommend sideloading OVR Metrics onto your headset and toggling on its persistent overlay setting. This will provide a real-time display of your app’s frame rate as you test its performance.

4. Functional

Oculus has created thirteen functional VRCs to ensure that all apps listed on App Lab and Quest Store run smoothly. Together, they prevent crashes, freezes, extended unresponsive states, and other game-breaking errors. Four of these checks are recommendations for App Lab submissions, while only one check is a recommendation for the Quest Store.

Developers seeking a spot in the Quest Store should keep VRC.Quest.Functional.1 in mind as they produce their games and apps. Because it requires you to be able to play through content for at least 45 minutes without any major errors, crashes, or freezing, this check could potentially impact your game’s design. VRC.Quest.Functional.1 is merely a recommendation for App Lab submissions, making that that ideal distribution avenue for early access games and demos not yet long enough for the Quest Store.

Visit here for a complete list of functional VRCs.

5. Security

Two security VRCs ensure that every Quest app respects and protects the privacy and integrity of customer data. Made up of one recommendation and a requirement, this is among the more straightforward categories. VRC.Quest.Security.2 is the only security check that developers must abide by; it requires your app to request no more than the minimum number of permissions needed for it properly function.

For more details, visit here.

6. Tracking

The tracking category of VRCs consists of one mandatory check for both Quest Store and App Lab submissions. To comply with VRC.Quest.Tracking.1, your app’s metadata must meet Oculus’ requirements for sitting, standing, and roomscale play modes. You can take in-depth look at this Virtual Reality Check here.

7. Input

Seven input VRCs relate to your app’s controls scheme and commands. This category is comprised of four and five requirements for App Lab and Quest Store, respectively; they function to maintain consistent interactivity from one Quest app to the next. For example, VRC.Quest.Input.4 makes sure that, when the user pulls up Quest’s Universal Menu, every Quest app continues to render in the background but hides the user’s hands.

If you plan on implementing hand tracking within your app, you’ll need to pay particular attention to this category. View all seven VRCs within the input category here.

8. Assets

Each of the eight VRCs included within this category is required of Quest Store submissions, but only half are needed for App Lab titles. These checks refer to the assets that will accompany your game within each distribution channel, ensuring that your app’s logos, screenshots, description, and trailer meet Oculus’ expectations. Though you may not be required to abide by every check if you’re looking to submit to App Lab, it’s important that you consider every check as you plan and create the marketing materials that will help your game stand out.

Clear cover art, for example, is only a requirement for the Quest Store, but this is an asset that will undoubtedly help your game stand out on App Lab too. Keep in mind that you will need multiple cover art images of different sizes and dimensions in order for your graphics to look their best in different areas of these distribution platforms. 

As you plan your game’s trailer, you should keep VRC.Quest.Asset.7 in mind—a required check limiting your trailer’s length to two minutes or less. While recording, take advantage of SideQuest’s ability to run ADB commands on your headset and alter the dimensions and bitrate settings of your Quest’s native screen-record feature. Also remember that, due to VRC.Quest.Asset.6, no asset accompanying your game can feature another VR platform’s headset or controllers.

9. Accessibility

Although none of these checks are requirements for either distribution channel, the accessibility category spans nine recommendations, making it among the largest sections in throughout the Quest Virtual Reality Check guideline. Failing to incorporate any of these suggestions won’t invalidate your submission, but we recommend developers implement these checks as well because they make sure that your game accommodates a variety of users.

Making adding subtitles, making text clear and legible, and incorporating color blindness options within your app’s settings are invaluable ways of making sure that it is accessible to the broadest audience possible. For ever suggestion within this category, visit here.

10. Streaming

Streaming VRCs exist to guarantee all Quest apps are capable of providing smooth streaming experiences. VRC.Quest.Streaming.2 is the only required streaming check, making streaming among the simpler categories to comply with. You’ll just need to make sure that your app can only stream VR content to local PCs that the user has physical access to.

Sullivan pioneered the American skyscraper; he believed that each skyscraper’s external “shell” should reflect its internal functions. 

Loam began with a purpose; we wanted to make a relaxing gardening simulation game in virtual reality. With that in mind, we started researching environments that would take advantage of the immersion provided by Oculus Quest headsets without inhibiting the game’s overall goal.

From the very start, Loam’s form followed its function. We ultimately decided that Loam’s setting would be a mountain valley region because the setting facilitates realistic gardening while providing a vast landscape that shines when showcased in virtual reality. Even when developing non-VR games, it is essential to consider how your game’s setting interrelates with its core gameplay.

Now, with a basic understanding of Loam’s setting, we continued to research mountain valley regions and their associated cultures. Knowing that we wanted this game to be a relaxing respite for players, we used this research to hone in on the tone and feel of the game.

Hygge is a popular theme across Scandinavian cultures but is especially prominent in Denmark and Norway. Because this idea of comfort and the feelings of well-being that accompany it aligned so heavily with the function of Loam, it inevitably had a significant impact on the visual form of everything we see in Loam, from its architecture to the game’s textures and assets.

As we grappled Loam’s comforting visuals with its gardening gameplay, we also had to consider the game’s functionality as a whole in terms of its ability to run smoothly on both Oculus Quest and Quest 2 headsets. Before either the Oculus Quest Store or App Lab can distribute a game or app, it must meet the stringent Virtual Reality Check (VRC) guidelines set forth by Oculus.

These VRCs are yet another example of the role Loam’s functionality played in determining its visual form. These guidelines exist to ensure that all games on the platform are of a consistently high standard; unfortunately, meeting these guidelines often requires the alteration or removal of certain elements and assets.

Your game’s performance is a common reason you might retroactively modify your game’s form to align with its function, but another critical aspect to consider is the player’s experience, especially when developing virtual reality games.

With so many accessible, often free online resources at your disposal, there’s never been a better time to enter the gaming industry. However, just like any other significant undertaking, figuring out where to begin is the hardest part. Whether you want to make game development your new career or your next hobby, our team of developers and artists will share within this article their go-to tools and resources, plus their suggestions for professionals looking to break into the industry.

With so many resources at your disposal, there’s never been a better time to enter the gaming industry.

Our team’s best advice for an aspiring game artist or developer would be to start small and think big. If you’re interested in forging a career in game development, then you should be prepared to spend time developing your abilities and familiarizing yourself with the software and languages you anticipate using the most. With that said, the best place for you to start your journey might actually be away from the computer.

You can’t start designing games until you start thinking like a game designer! Creating your own board game is an incredibly effective introduction to the world of game production. When you look at the steps involved, producing a board game is surprisingly similar to video game production. Regardless of their medium, every game needs a working set of rules designed with players in mind, then they eventually need playtesters to highlight potential improvements for the next iteration or build.

At the moment, many aspiring 3D artists and developers are denied the hardware needed to develop satisfying video games simply because it is too expensive to acquire. This is another reason board games are a great place to start, but if you’re truly ready to take the next step, we suggest taking advantage of the local opportunities unique to your area. By participating in meetup groups and organizations like the International Game Developer’s Association (IDGA), you may find regular access to the expensive hardware you’re seeking.

To craft the magical world of Loam, our team uses the game engine Unity, which you can download and start learning for free. As you familiarize yourself with Unity (or your engine of choice) and start producing your game, you will inevitably encounter obstacles. Bringing questions to your local meetup group is a great way to gain new insights, but this is not always possible. Thankfully, there are a plethora of free and accessible resources online!

Meeting others with similar interests, skills, and goals is perhaps the most exciting aspect of pursuing any passion. While attending college facilitates limitless networking opportunities, it is not the only path for aspiring developers or artists. Above all else (including degrees), you should value your portfolio, your previous work experience, and your connections in the industry. With so many possible ways to enter the industry, here is how our team managed to do so:

We opted to forgo bringing headsets in favor of some creative alternatives.

Although we had a great time at the event, our ultimate goal was to introduce patrons to the world of Loam and excite them about the virtual reality game’s approaching release on App Lab later this year. In the past, we’ve allowed players to experience the game directly by sharing VR headsets, but, to limit the potential spread of COVID-19, we opted to forgo headsets entirely in favor of some creative alternatives.

Considering last year’s expo was entirely virtual, our team did our best to ensure that SFGE 2021 would be one to remember despite the pandemic-induced restrictions that accompanied it. This convention was the first in-person event our team attended in over a year, so we couldn’t help but go all out! We marked the occasion by creating an eye-catching booth filled with Loam-inspired games and swag. 

We translated Loam’s central theme of discovery into an arcade-style matching game in the same vein as the popular mobile app 2048. Entitled Loam Arcade, the machine challenged players with shifting Loam’s plants and animals around to make matches, form new critters, and earn points. Our team even gave away a Loam Gnome Home T-shirt prize to each day’s highest scorer.

Footage from our touchless, interactive Loam experience.

The last component of our booth was undoubtedly the most eye-catching. We created a beautiful, eight-foot-tall wall of leaves and flowers for patrons to use as a wall backdrop for group photos and selfies. It may have taken loads of fishing line, flowers, and zip ties, but seeing so many smiling faces visit our booth was well worth the effort.

The highlight of our weekend came Saturday afternoon as we gathered together in the Chancellor Hall to hold a panel discussion detailing our journey in creating a VR game for the Oculus Quest. Moderated by Jamie, the panel featured four of the brilliant minds behind Loam’s look, feel, and functionality: Pierce, Shelby, Linda, and Chan. Considering Loam is our Amebous Labs’ first-ever official game release, we appreciated the opportunity to share the insights we’ve formed throughout the development process. The panel featured a wealth of topics ranging from helpful resources to unexpected challenges, plus great questions from curious attendees.