VR & AR Games & Game Development

Gaming and game development are probably the biggest influence in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality right now. Aside from being the industry that drives the majority of news stories about AR & VR, gaming was the first industry to demonstrate how things like immersion & haptic feedback could be used in education and industrial environments. Also, somewhat unexpectedly, VR gaming hasn't taken away from console, PC, or mobile gaming, but instead has grown side by side in addition to the traditional game delivery channels. VR provides the ability to place a person - in a fully immerse and interactive way - into their favorite movie environments, like Harry Potter or Avengers. AR allows people to surround themselves with Walking Dead zombies or Pokemon in their actual physical environment. Why is it that VR and AR are so engaging for game delivery? What is coming next in terms of technology and experiences?

What's Happening:
Thank you to Metis for hosting us just 2 months after the amazingly successful Chicago XR Summit. We'll follow our normal format - described below - and introduce our audience to what's happening in gaming.

What's The Format:
We start with informal networking, then host a panel discussion to answer audience questions, and we end with more networking and technology demonstrations. The conversation will start with a primary topic, but ultimately take us wherever it goes. We keep it simple and informal - this MeetUp is about you, our members, and not the host or presenters.

6:00-6:30 - Informal networking and introductions.
6:30-7:00 - Panel members will introduce themselves and describe their experience.
7:00-7:30 - Open discussion and Q&A.
7:30-8:00 - We may wrap up and return to networking and demos, or if the conversation's flowing, it may continue. It's all up to you.
8:00-8:45 - Networking and demonstrations.

Host:
Matt Wren - BundlAR

Confirmed Panel:
Steve Bowler - CloudGate Studios
Alexandria Heston - Across Realities LLC
Alan Reck - ZoopTEK
Rebecca Rothschild - Sugar Gamers
August Wasilowski - Freelance
Thomas Williams - Grand Scheme Games

Confirmed Demonstrations:
Beat Saber
Immortal Doctrine
Pacific Rim: Shatterdome Showdown
Super Cat Herding: Totally Awesome Edition

About Our Panelists:
Steve Bowler - https://www.cloudgate.studio/

Alexandria Heston - https://realityofdesign.com - Lead UX Technical Artist at Across Realities - Across Realities is firmly focused on the next wave of computing via immersive VR and AR technologies. They believe that collaborative social environments are the key to mass adoption, and want to bring that future to everyday consumers.

Alan Reck - https://zooptek.com - ZoopTEK was founded in September of 1999 around their first game, Paint Ball 3 EXTREME, which garnered a large fan base and lasted five years.

Rebecca Rothschild - http://SheroAndVex.com - Rebecca Rothschild is a writer and narrative designer local to Chicago. She has worked on games including Mortal Kombat X (QA Analyst), Injustice 2 (Supporting Writer, QA Analyst) and Mutant Football League (Narrative Designer).

August Wasilowski -

Thomas Williams - www.grandschemegames.com - Thomas Williams is a designer, philosopher, and evil genius with big plans to make games that marry RPGs with unique mechanics and deep elements that facilitate personal growth.

Register Here:
***Please RSVP to this Meetup and also register at the EventBrite Registration link above so that security lets you in the building.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fintank-virtual-reality-augment-reality-vrar-chicago-tickets-41502227279

Thanks to Our Sponsors:
BundlAR (www.bundlar.com)
FinTank (www.fintank.org)
Origin Development & IT, Inc (www.origindev.com)