XR Connections: Women in XR & Game Dev Night
A collaborative event by WiSE JP, XR Tokyo, TGB & Le Wagon
We are thrilled to host an exciting event dedicated to XR (Augmented reality, Virtual reality, Mixed reality) technologies and Game development in collaboration with the XR Tokyo and TGB community at Le Wagon Tokyo!
WiSE JP is focused on empowering diverse women in Japan to succeed in technology careers.
At this event, women working in XR and Video Games will share their experiences and insights from the industry, from ideas to tools that inspire you about the future of immersive development through talks and hands-on projects.
The event will also feature a hands-on demo area where developers and indie studios will showcase XR applications and video games that attendees will get the chance to try.
You can expect a combination of technical expertise, creative inspiration, and great opportunities to connect with professionals in the XR and video games industry, as well as software engineers from other fields who are interested in transitioning into these areas or curious about exploring these technologies, all while enjoying snacks and drinks in a relaxed networking environment.
While our organization focuses on women, all genders and allies that support our mission are welcome at our events.
AGENDA
19:00 - Doors open and Check-in time
Enjoy drinks and light snacks, networking
Community intros
19:20 - WiSE JP intro
19:25 - XR Tokyo intro
19:30 - Tokyo Game Bridge (TGB) intro
19:35 - Le Wagon intro
Lighting Talks
19:40 - Designing XR with AI: From Concept to Creation
Sarah Tan. Senior Product Designer
AI is making it easier than ever to build XR experiences, but how do we ensure they are meaningful and human-centered? In this talk, Sarah shares practical workflows for using AI to rapidly prototype and bring XR ideas to life. She will also cover key principles for designing XR experiences and approaches to innovating as technology evolves quickly.
Attendees will leave with actionable ways to turn concepts into real XR experiences using AI, along with fresh perspectives on working with emerging technologies.
Sarah Tan is an award-winning Product and UX Designer specializing in AR, VR, and AI. She has designed experiences for companies including Google, Meta, Adobe, and Atlassian. She is passionate about emerging technology innovation and building great user experiences around it.
19:55 - Q&A
20:00 - How diversity in VR avatar customization helps immersion and a better experience for everyone
Jennifer Mori. VR Game Artist
Updating soon!
Jennifer Mori is a game artist based in Tokyo with over a decade of experience in the Japanese game industry. For the last eight years, her work has centered on VR games, with a focus on craft, visual storytelling, and inclusivity.
She is also the co-founder of Ekubo Labo, a Tokyo-based indie game studio, and participates in projects across a range of platforms and genres.
20:10 - Q&A
20:15 - Talk 3
Speaker 3 - updating soon!
Interested to speak? Apply here before June 1st
20: 25 - Q&A
Hands-on, demos and networking
20:30 - Enjoy networking time, drinks, hands-on experiences with XR devices, and the chance to play video games created by indie studios and independent developers.
🔎Tiny Lands VR - Hyper Three studio
Presented by Patricia Cortez and Maria Tenorio
They collaborated with Hyper Three Studio to create a VR proof-of-concept, bringing the cozy and relaxing handcrafted miniature worlds of Tiny Lands into Virtual Reality ᯅ which is now under production.
Attendees will have the exclusive first look at the playable public demo on the Meta Quest!
🐝Busy Buds
Presented by Amanda Parks
A mixed reality app that helps you get things done!
Busy Buds sets users up for success by naturally guiding them to focus only on what they can accomplish within the limited amount of time provided. The task markers (flower buds) must be physically placed on to-dos, grounding them in reality.
The music has also been specifically designed to help people get into the right headspace for their tasks. There’s a hype track for getting energised, a binaural beats track to increase focus and a chill track for when you want to relax.
Your friendly virtual buddy, Bee, has a big job too. There are a lot of flowers that need help blossoming, but Bee can't do it without your company. By setting tasks for yourself, you're setting tasks for Bee too, and together you can achieve something magical! 🌼
Open spot - contact the hosts!
Open spot - contact the hosts!
21:30 - Closing
📍Access to venue
2 Chome-11-3 Meguro, Meguro City, Tokyo 153-0063
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Lg7yKixjE9o9qELh6
After 19:00 the main entrance is closed, we will use a side Le Wagon door that can be only open from inside. Please gently knock on the door when you arrive.
✨ SPONSOR ✨
Many thanks to Le Wagon Tokyo for their generosity providing snacks, drinks, and the venue for the event 🙌
Accessibility
We will do our best to ensure barrier free entry and exit to the facility. This facility has a special exit procedure involving a staircase, and so we ask participants to let us know 24 hours in advance if they will need to use an alternative barrier free exit.
Late Entry (30+ minutes after doors open)
We'll monitor this meetup event, but can’t always follow messages in real time. The best way to reach us is by sending a message in WiSE Japan Slack in the #general channel.
Join the WiSE JP community!
Visit https://womeninsoftware.jp to join our Slack community and become a member.
Code of Conduct
To create an inclusive, welcoming space for learning, we ask all participants to follow our Code of Conduct.