MIT, Indie Gaming, Computer Vision, and the Future
The next immersive movement of Virtual Reality
Mark Mayers, MIT researcher by day, indie game developer by night. Mark received his degree in Computer Science from Northeastern University in Boston and has been working in the cross section of programming professionally and personally.
After graduating from Northeastern in December 2014, Mark began working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Throughout 2015, he created distributed high-performance computing software, creating algorithms which process large datasets with supercomputers. In late 2016, he transitioned to a research project involving image recognition with convolutional neural networks.
Since 2014, Mark has been actively involved in independent game development. His current endeavor is Desolus, a virtual reality game where you manipulate energy from a black hole to travel between alternate dimensions. Think Portal meets Stranger Things. The game is set in a surrealist and abstract environment reminiscent of a Salvador Dali painting. Since its inception in August 2014, Desolus has turned from a nighttime project to a large-scale operation with artistic references, new technologies, and an outside of the box perspective on future gaming.
Mark is driven by his internal desire to tackle interesting issues and solve them with his flair. Attached are some of Mark’s responses and thoughts on the future of technology.
BF: Thanks for taking the time out today Mark. Our focus for this publication is future technology and the impact on society it will have. What do you think the future will look like?
Have you seen Black Mirror? (Joking) I’ll answer this question from a five year perspective, since otherwise we delve into what’s ostensibly science fiction territory.
Some of the most exciting recent evolution in technology has come from advancements in virtual reality. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to work with VR on a daily basis. See some HQ content here.
There is some current skepticism surrounding the appeal of VR to a mass market. My personal opinion is that it’s the future of entertainment. However, the medium still has some hurdles to get over. Currently the PC and Console VR marketplace is starved for content. There is a steady trickle of VR games being released from independent developers, but major AAA studios have yet to push large IPs into the VR ecosystem. To exacerbate this issue, consumer adoption has been relatively low due to the high financial barrier to entry. Oculus Rift w/ Touch, and the HTC Vive will both run you $800, which is prohibitively expensive when combined with the cost of a gaming PC. The cheapest option is currently Playstation VR, but this is still $800 when combined with the price of a PS4. Less expensive virtual reality options, such as the Google Day Dream and Samsung Gear VR, show massive potential. However, the hardware limitations and nature of the mobile platform place limitations on the types of content which is possible to make.
I’m projecting you will see massive growth of adoption when there is an all-inclusive virtual reality platform which costs below $400. This would be a wireless device which doesn’t need to connect to a computer or console, containing its own operating system and hardware. Prototypes like this are already being made by Oculus, such as the Santa Cruz concept which was shown at Oculus Connect 3 recently. This type of all-in-one device, perhaps hypothetically combined with Augmented Reality (which is a whole different awesome technology), could have massive consumer appeal and adoption. All of this could be 2 to 3 years away.
BF: What has your vision caused you to work on?
I originally began as strictly a Computer Scientist. My intentions were to perhaps work exclusively within programming and software for my career. However after I began development of Desolus that focus has shifted vastly. As a solo independent developer, it’s critical to develop a diverse set of abilities.
Creating a game requires skills in programming, art, music, writing, sound design, psychology, marketing, and much more. It’s like you’re in a band but you perform guitar, bass, drums, and vocals simultaneously; and you’re also your own agent.
BF: Why Desolus?
I started Desolus around September 2014 when I was a senior in college. It originally began as purely a creative project, but then evolved into a commercial endeavor over time.
I wrote an article for a ‘Made With Unity’ feature which gives a detailed answer to this question, if you’re interested in reading.
To summarize, Desolus is an organic project full of ideas which have spanned multiple years. In a sense the game reflects the growth of myself as a person from creative, personal, and professional perspective. I’ve been fortunate enough to present at many festivals, taking me across the country, and allowing me to meet lots of interesting and talented people. Independent game development can be excruciatingly difficult at times, but I find it very rewarding.
Check a .gif of gameplay here
BF: What are your main influences for your work?
In terms of art style I’ve taken much from surrealist works, such as those by Salvador Dali. The worlds of Desolus feel like a lucid dream, one which you’re only partially cognizant of reality. I could also state influences from Romanticism, such as art by Caspar David Friedrich. There aren’t any human characters in Desolus, the environment is the character.
More gameplay here.
From a game design perspective, I originally wanted to create a game which is a cross between Metroid Prime and Portal; two games which have defined the medium. In particular, I wanted to capture the exploration elements of Metroid, and the intuitive puzzle design of Portal. That’s an extremely ambitious goal, but I’ve come probably as close as I can as a single developer. I’m happy how the game has turned out so far.
BF: After it’s all done, no matter what the outcome, what do you want to dedicate yourself to professionally?
Ideally, I’m hoping Desolus is successful enough where I can afford to make another independent game. If not, I may transition into AAA game development perhaps as a designer or tech artist. There’s so much potential in games and virtual reality as a creative medium, and I wish to further explore.
BF: Thanks Mark, excited to see where it all goes.
That’s it folks, Desolus will launch early next year, I’ll be posting more when that time comes. Editor Note: Follow Mark at @DesolusDev and subscribe for updates from him at www.desolus.com
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