• What I learnt

My journey over the past few months has been nothing short of transformative. Through my experiences, I've gained invaluable insights into game design and development, both technically and culturally. Here are some of the key lessons I've taken away:

Cultural Adaptability: Working on the trans-cultural VR project in Hong Kong exposed me to a rich tapestry of cultural perspectives. I learned the importance of adapting design choices to resonate with diverse audiences, fostering inclusivity in the game development process.

Technical Expertise: My role as the Technical Design Lead allowed me to deepen my technical expertise, particularly in VR design and development within Unreal Engine. I gained hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools such as Unreal Engines new PCG's (Procedural Content Generation), and I also had the opportunity to use NVIDIA's Omniverse platform, which is poised to revolutionize configuration management in the industry.

Project Management: As this was my first non-university project as a Project Manager, I felt this really helped to give me some experience to build on my project management skills, ensuring efficient collaboration across multidisciplinary teams. This experience reinforced the significance of clear communication and meticulous planning in meeting project deadlines and goals.

Continuous Learning: My journey reaffirmed that learning is a lifelong endeavor. Whether it was staying updated on industry trends or exploring new technologies, I embraced the spirit of continuous improvement to excel in the ever-evolving field of game design.

​

• What I was aiming for

My involvement in the HKBU x TU project was driven by a clear set of aspirations and objectives:

Cultural Fusion: My foremost goal was to bridge cultural gaps through immersive VR experiences. I aimed to create a project that seamlessly blended elements from both Hong Kong and the UK's cultural backgrounds, fostering a sense of unity and shared insight into dfferences in seasonal festival's.

Inspiration and Impact: One of my primary ambitions was to inspire others, both within the project team and the wider gaming community. I sought to showcase the potential of VR technology to transcend cultural barriers and celebrate differences to create a meaningful and unique experience.

Project Management Excellence: As the Project Manager, I aimed to excel in project management, ensuring seamless coordination among team members and efficient use of resources and time. My objective was to deliver a project that met or exceeded our agreed project brief.

​​

• What could've gone better?

Scope Management: In retrospect, a more rigorous approach to managing project scope could have resulted in even more innovative features and a more refined overall experience.

Testing and Feedback: While we did conduct playtesting sessions at the end of our development, we should have had a more extensive and structured feedback collection process from an early point in the project that could have further enhanced the project's quality and player engagement.

Resource Allocation: Optimizing the allocation of resources, both human and technical, could have potentially allowed us to explore even more ambitious elements of the project. It's worth noting that some team members, including myself, were juggling other commitments, such as internships, during the project's development phase. This occasionally impacted the amount of time available for project-related tasks, affecting the planned feature set.

Communication Across Borders: Given the international nature of the project, finding even more efficient ways to communicate and collaborate across different time zones and cultural contexts could have further streamlined development and project management processes. Despite our best efforts, the occasional time zone differences and cultural nuances did pose challenges, which could have been mitigated with even more effective communication strategies.

 

Overall, my experience on the HKBU x TU project has been incredibly rewarding, and these reflections serve as valuable lessons for future endeavors in the ever-evolving realm of VR development.

Project Web Page - CLICK HERE

Hong Kong Baptist University Promotional Video - CLICK HERE

Teesside University Promotional Video - CLICK HERE