Robert Yang makes surprisingly popular games about gay culture & intimacy -- he is known for his historical bathroom sex simulator The Tearoom & his male shower simulator Rinse & Repeat, while his gay sex triptych Radiator 2 has over 150,000 users on Steam.

He is currently an Assistant Arts Professor at NYU Game Center, where he is the "the VR guy", & he has given talks at GDC, IndieCade, Queerness & Games Conference, & Games for Change. He holds a BA in English Literature from UC Berkeley, & an MFA in Design & Technology from Parsons School for Design. His site is at www.debacle.us.

Robert will present two of his recent games (Rinse & Repeat, & the Tearoom) & share how his practice relates to VR / immersive storytelling -- code & 3D, like any other form of media, has a political valence that creators mustn't ignore, & his games are interventions in this sense.

He will incorporate a short introduction to thinking about games as communities & virtual spaces. Learning about game design can help you create better immersive experiences or apps in general. After all, video games have been thinking about the aesthetics of digital interaction for decades, they might have something to offer you! Robert argues that playful design is a useful framework for any designer or practitioner working in any field.