Designing Virtual Space While Staying Alive

Undergraduate / Graduate

How do we experience virtual space in the age of the pandemic? An introductory, studio-oriented class on Unity and Virtual Reality development, this class explores ways of designing virtual space for platforms beyond the head-mounted display. To mine the full potential of the medium, we will adopt a slightly deconstructed approach to learning techniques while adjusting to remote learning needs. Each week's lesson starts with a conceptual prompt around which the technical knowledge revolves. Prompts include: What makes an interesting space? How would one travel through the virtual space? What kind of physicality constitutes your virtual experience? The knowledge and technique acquired in this class can serve as the building blocks for game design, data visualization, VR/AR/XR development. This course counts towards the Media Practice and Design requirement for the MAAD program.