My Role / What I Learned

I worked in Unity and C# for years before beginning this project, but had only dabbled in VR. This was my first full VR app.

The project was initially going to focus on procedure, including a segment about how to properly place an NG tube. However, we eventually decided that those types of interactions could better be handled by VR apps and real-world dummies that already existed. After much deliberation, we agreed that the focus should be more on the actual dialogue between dietitian and patient, specifically when dealing with difficult or non-compliant patients.

With the educational goal decided, it was time to get to work. I created several prototypes, iterating upon each one to reflect changes to the script and playtester feedback. At one point, I even added hand-tracking support that could be used as an alternative to the motion-controllers. Our artists at NMSU did a great job on the character models, textures, and animations. I handled everything on the programming side, using Unity and C# to build the app and a dialogue engine called “Ink” to set up the complex dialogue trees. I also lent my voice to the character “Angry Craig” and the narrator, and modeled some of the hospital room objects in Blender.

Credits: Game Design, Lead Programmer, UI/UX, Audio, Voice Acting