Game jams, hackathons, and meetups are more popular than ever in the budding VR and AR communities. They’re an excellent opportunity for like-minded individuals to get together and create something unique and innovative in a short period of time. The intention of these events is to focus on creativity and functionality, rather than getting bogged down by polishing and prepping something for launch. If the hackathon or game jam goes well, the polish can happen afterwards.
Today, the MIT Media Lab is officially announcing its backing of the appropriately titled Reality, Virtually Hackathon. The hackathon is organized by a multitude of VR/AR experts, developers, industry executives, and MIT students, alumni, and Ph.D. candidates and will take place at the MIT campus.
Whether you attend MIT or not, developers, designers, and video or audio engineers are all encouraged to apply. Applications are due by Wednesday, September 7, 2016, and you’ll be notified if selected by Wednesday, September 14, 2016, exactly one week after the due date. The limit is up to 400 total participants, making it one of the largest VR/AR hackathons ever at this scale.
Workshops will be held the day prior to the event officially starting to help get people up to speed on the different headsets, software platforms, and design principles. Mentors will be on-site providing guidance throughout the event.
The hackathon is running on Columbus Day weekend, beginning on October 7th and ending on October 9th, when project presentations begin. Participants will also present to a panel of judges on the morning of October 10th, after which winners will be selected. Prizes have not been announced yet.
According to an official statement from the MIT Media Lab, “The Reality, Virtually hackathon will stretch the amazing VR and AR advancements made and expertise gained from building popular gaming and entertainment apps into new fields such as VR/AR for Good, Health/Medicine, Education, Industry, Productivity, Advertising, Social Networking, and other vertical applications about which participants feel passionate.”
You can find out more information about the hackathon on the official website and by following on Twitter. They are now accepting applications.
And if you’re interested in supporting the hackathon, they’re currently looking for financial support, hardware, access to API’s, mentors, and judges. For more information, send an email to: realityvirtually16@gmail.com.
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Disclosure: Upload is a featured Media Sponsor of this hackathon. Other sponsors of the event include Inside, Microsoft, AT&T, ARM, and Unity.
