Virtual Reality Prototyping | Communication in VR (RecRoom)

Brief​

What happens when you build a game from inside the game itself? This experiment explored that question. Our team co-designed a mini-game entirely within RecRoom, a social VR platform, to see how virtual environments could support real-time creative collaboration.

It was a bit chaotic, very experimental, and surprisingly effective. Think: VR barn-building meets kitchen prototyping meets "I Spy" gameplay, all happening through our avatars in-world.

What We Set Out to Do

• Explore how VR can enhance collaborative design

• Prototype using in-game tools instead of traditional software

• Test out interactivity using Circuits and Gizmos

• See if game-making inside VR could also teach us something about working together

Concept board

Ideation

What I Built

• A barn structure with a working kitchen setup

• A custom landscape with interactive elements like wells and plants

• Functional game logic powered by RecRoom's Circuits and Gizmos

• A cozy "I Spy" game that teaches players about seeds and recipes

Game flowchart

What I Took Away

This project showed me both the promise and friction of designing in RecRoom. The platform’s modeling tools felt clunky at times, but it made up for that with something harder to quantify: presence. Designing side-by-side as avatars, having spontaneous conversations, testing mechanics in real time, it all made the design process feel more alive.

RecRoom wasn’t the last stop for me. This experience led me to experiment with more refined VR creation tools like Tilt Brush and Gravity Sketch, where I could push form and interaction further. But the seed was planted here.

Why It Still Matters

More than anything, this project changed how I think about teamwork. Collaborating entirely in VR wasn’t just novel; it was genuinely better in some ways. The shared sense of space, body language (even through avatars), and immersive focus made it easier to communicate ideas quickly and intuitively. It reminded me that VR isn't just a medium for what we build--it’s also changing how we build, especially together.