22 Jun Meet Nick Foster, Communications Specialist
Futurus is again excited to welcome aboard another member to our team. Meet Nick Foster, Futurus and Amebous Labs’ new Communications Specialist. As you know, we love to get to know our latest members and always enjoy asking them some fun questions. Please continue reading to get to know Nick: what he hopes to see in the future, what he does for fun, and what he hopes to learn from us!
What is your hidden talent?
I’m decent at making music! I love working with sounds and audio, so music production is naturally among my all-time favorite hobbies. I’m by no means a great pianist, guitarist, or producer, but I still really appreciate the songs that I make because they’re the only songs in the world that were tailor-made for me and my taste. I used to be terrified at the thought of anyone ever hearing them, but as time passes, I’m becoming more and more excited by the idea of finishing them and sharing them with anyone who wants to listen.
What are you hoping to learn or gain from Futurus/Amebous Labs?
I’m excited to learn more about the game development process. I’ve been interested in video games for as long as I can remember, but I don’t know very much about how they are created. I’m hoping that I can explore this curiosity by regularly playtesting Loam and listening in on Chan, Pierce, and Linda’s meetings 🤫
Additionally, I don’t have much experience in XR. In my short time here, I’ve already learned so much about VR and AR, but I hope that I can continue to become more knowledgeable of where this immersive medium is now and where it’s heading next.
We’ve heard you like to read; what is your favorite book and why?
I love books written to feel like someone is talking to the reader. Naturally, memoirs and autobiographies are among my favorite genres—I appreciate the intimacy of someone sharing their life with me. Interestingly, my choice doesn’t belong to this genre but is written well to feel like it does. My favorite novel is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger because, although fiction, its protagonist, Holden, feels a lot more real to me than many people that I’ve actually met! Initially forced to read the novel in my sophomore year of high school, I related to Holden’s angst and views. This sounds silly, but by reading it, I felt more understood and hoped that, by reading his words, I could make Holden feel the same way.
Where are you from? If not from here, what’s your favorite thing about Atlanta?
I like to say that I’m from Georgia, but that’s debatable. While I undoubtedly grew up here, I was born in Nevada and didn’t move here until the second grade. Even today, I vividly remember my shock from seeing so many green trees everywhere I looked. That’s definitely my favorite part. Sometimes you don’t know how much you need something until you get it; I genuinely don’t think I could ever move back to Nevada and stay long-term because I would miss the trees and grass (and Chik-Fil-A) too much.
What VR experience has been your favorite?
After playing around with a couple of games and apps on the Oculus Quest 2, I can think of at least two different VR experiences that stood out. The first is obviously my time playing Loam! The game is a needed change of pace from some of the more fast-paced, multiplayer games that I’ve been into lately. Loam is also the first game I’ve ever gotten to playtest, which has been as fun as it has been insightful. I’m excited to play a role in its creation and can’t wait to share the finished game.
Another noteworthy experience was when I watched The Conjuring 3 in VR through the Oculus Browser. This was the first movie I watched and, having not visited the movie theater in over a year due to the pandemic, watching the film in VR took me right back to the good old days of scary movies at AMC.
What is something you hope to see continue in the VR/AR space?
It’s always surreal to experience something old and familiar in an entirely new, unfamiliar way. For example, every Christmas, I ask my family for a new pair of headphones so that I can re-listen to all the songs I know and love. The songs haven’t changed at all, but my mindset while listening has. Instead of glossing over every detail that I would typically take for granted, I find myself noticing and appreciating them just like I did the first time I ever heard the song! Like a brand new pair of headphones, I cherish the Oculus Quest 2’s ability to bring that “same, but different” phenomenon to a whole new scale.
Having played and enjoyed SUPERHOT before, I was very excited to see it available in VR. Because I can mindlessly play it on Xbox, I didn’t anticipate the game to feel as fresh as it did. The game at its core was nearly identical but having to relearn and get used to new ways of doing the same things made the experience feel entirely novel. It’s hard to explain, so you’ll have to experience it for yourself. That’s why I hope that we continue to see new VR ports of games we already know and love.
