Games and Grog, once a month

Hey everyone. This month’s Boston Post Mortem will actually take place in a new location!!

We will meet on Wednesday, September 21st, from 7pm to 10pm at Warehouse Bar & Grille
(located at 40 Broad St., Boston MA, 02109).

Warehouse will be our new current location for Boston Post Mortem, not Monroe Restaurant, as Monroe has been closed indefinitely.

There is ample street parking on the surrounding streets. Warehouse offers a $3 validation for the 75 State Street parking lot. There is an open air lot directly across the street as well.

Nearby MBTA locations:
Government Center – Green Line
Aquarium – Blue Line
State Street – Orange Line
South Station – Red Line & Commuter Rail

Our presentation this month is:

“Pedaling With A Pegasus: VirZOOM & The Challenges Of VR Locomotion”.

Virtual reality has been described – and not unfairly – as “a little like being drunk, without the fun part.” That’s what you get when you try to tackle one of the most challenging new problems in gaming: How to move in around in VR space when your body’s telling you that you’re sitting still. This is the problem faced by VirZOOM, an exercise bike controller that has you riding a Pegasus, piloting a tank, and driving a race car, but getting there wasn’t always a smooth ride. Eric Malafeew, CTO and Co-Founder of VirZOOM, explains how he and his team used a process of research and iterative design to develop a product that feels more invigorating than nauseating.

If you like the sound of flying a Pegasus yourself, stick around after the talk to take a ride on a VirZOOM bike! Pedal faster and lean harder to control how quickly you move and turn in virtual space. Game modes include a variety of race car tracks, multiplayer tank battles, hunting for gems and racing through gates on a flying steed, a relaxing kayak ride, a straightaway to lasso horse thieves, and a chopper flight with missile launchers to keep you company.

About the Presenters:

Eric Malafeew, Co-Founder and CTO at VirZOOM
Kaitlynn Hegarty, QA Lead and Sound Designer at VirZOOM
Jason Tocci, Community Manager at VirZOOM

Eric Malafeew created the engine and directed engineering for 15 years at Harmonix, making innovative and best-selling games for new controllers like the EyeToy, Rock Band instruments, and Kinect. His career also includes development of simulations and control systems for motorcycles, trucks, tanks, jets, and Mars rovers. His passion is to play, discover, and build joyful things with others.

Kaitlynn Hegarty has spent five years in game development as a sound designer, along with wearing many other hats. From console development at Harmonix to mobile development at Plaor, Kaitlynn has worked in audio, design, production, and QA. Moving into the future of gaming that is Virtual Reality, Kaitlynn now acts as the QA Lead and a sound designer for VirZOOM. Outside of VirZOOM, Kaitlynn enjoys playing piano, running and bubble tea.

Jason Tocci has worked in the game industry for 5 years for Irrational Games, Subatomic Games, Plaor, and a variety of social, mobile, and educational game projects. In his previous life as an academic and writer, he also published on games research and theory, online communities, consumer tech, and the eternal question of the difference between a nerd and a geek.

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