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Tinker VR Experience

Tinker is a fully immersive virtual reality experience that brings to life the gradual loss of a loved one to Alzheimer’s Disease. Tinker combines motion capture technology with live improvisational theater to create an intimate and dynamic experience for every participant. This project was 6 years in devolpment, my role in the project is the creative director and founder of the studio with a team of 20+ people where we debuted at Sundance New Frontier 2021, won a grant from the Oculus Launchpad Program, and was featured in the Realtime Pavilion Siggraph 2021 + Games for Change.

What makes the experience so unique is that every interaction is customized. By integrating an interactive narrative fused with revolutionary technology, there is a genuine connection between the grandfather, performed by actor Randy Dixon, and each participant. The participant plays the role of the grandchild — getting to tinker, explore, and create inside the virtual workshop with the grandfather. The greatest creation yet becomes the memories they make together.

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The memories become disrupted, however, when the grandfather starts to show signs of Alzheimer’s Disease. As time goes on, the narrative changes. Both characters grow older and the disease grows stronger. The way they both tinker together changes. How they explore and create together changes. And the memories they created together start to fade.

Millions of people are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease every year. We made this experience to bring awareness to the disease and its effects, to inspire more research, and above all, to generate understanding. Here’s a link to our marketing site and presentation deck