User:Ben.christel
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Hi! I'm Ben, majoring in HCI, Stanford class of '012.
I think virtual worlds should ideally provide applications and experiences that more traditional information-transfer architectures (like the real world and the World Wide Web) can't. My goal is to create applications and games that:
- are difficult or impossible to create in the real world,
- are enhanced by inhabiting a rich virtual environment populated with many users, and
- can operate synergistically with other applications in the world.
Operating System
Mac OS 10.6.7
Interests
- Music
- Architecture and urban planning
- Languages and Linguistics
- Sandbox games
- Interfaces
- Graphics
- Physics Simulations
Application Ideas
- A language-learning game, possibly integrated with other applications for maximum immersiveness. The entire world could function as an interactive visual dictionary; mousing over an object could display the name of the object in the target language. Various games and activities could build language comprehension skills.
- A massively-multiplayer game of Assassins, Fugitives, or Humans vs. Zombies.
- Collaborative music creation using uploaded sound and MIDI files, ideally with an in-world MIDI editor.
- Parametric object creation, allowing users to quickly create and customize complex objects, such as avatars, furniture, and vehicles.
Experience
- Maya 8
- Google SketchUp
- Autodesk Revit
Favorite Computer Games
Some of these might be relevant as inspirations for Meru apps or games.
- Activision's Zork games (yes, I'm a philistine who got too frustrated by the original text adventures to finish them)
- Sim City 2000
- RTSs of all kinds. There's a special place in my heart for Age of Empires II.
- Portal
- Minecraft
What I did this summer
- I made Terragen, a web application for generating terrain meshes and textures. It currently resides here.
- I also worked on Flatland, a tool for quickly creating dialog-like UIs in Sirikata.
- I made couple other little apps and games, like this train application.