Marc Cook

XR Production & Game Development

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I am Marc Cook, an XR Producer, Developer and an Independent Game Designer from the UK.I have both a BSc & MSc in Computer Games Technology and my studies focused on the creation of levels and worlds using game engines.Since 2014 I've worked on VR and application development predominantly for health, training heritage and entertainment.

Showreels

Here is a selection of videos showing the main projects I have worked as a developer or artist on.

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Work History

Here you will find images and details of the VR and development projects I have worked.

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Gamejams

Here are links to the information pages for projects I have produced for gamejams.

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Qualifications

Here you will find the information on my MSc and BSc projects from my studies at university.

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ShowReels

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Work History

Since graduating in 2014 I have worked on a number of long term VR and development projects which you can find below:

CCIXR

February 2022 - Present
I am a Producer and XR Developer for the eXRe project at the Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality.

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Freelance

January 2019 - Present
I have worked freelance roles producing UI art and prototype/pitch demos for games. I also develop games independently as a solo developer.

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ICJS - TRIF Project

May 2021 - August 2021
I was a developer for a proof of concept application for the School of Criminal Justice.

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PONToon Project

August 2017 - April 2021
I worked as the Technical Research associate for the INTERREG funded PONToon project.

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Fatherland

August 2018 - March 2019
I was the lead Artist for Fatherland, a VR and Motion Capture live theatre production.

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University of Portsmouth VR

June 2014 - August 2017
As a Research Assistant I worked as a developer with the VR team developing apps for a number of research projects.

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ICJS

The ICJS TRIF project saw me develop a prototype mobile app for the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice. I worked with the academic leads to design the functionality then implemented this in the Unreal Engine as a solo developer. This was a 2 month project created for the University of Portsmouth.The app is a training tool and features 2 parts:Contact 24: Take the role of a carer who is communicating with a patient who is suffering from substance abuse. You setup a profile and then engage in an SMS conversation with an automated character. Over a 5 minute, 1 hour or 24 hour period you will receive messages from this character and need to respond to them. Once the training scenario is over you are given results and analytics based on your answers.Road to Recovery: This is a backend of a digital narrative game. The backend functions like a digital board game, you draw cards and move that many spaces, landing on event spaces will propel your character backwards or forwards. Each space gives your character a narrative message explaining their thoughts which will be expanded into an interactive story should the app be further developed.

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PONToon Project

The PONToon Project was a technology and digital upskilling project funded by INTERREG and based in the South of England the the North of France. It focused on providing training and tools to women. The goal of the project was to develop a toolkit of digital tools and software, to assist with the training partners and project stakeholders were providing to beneficiaries.I was a Research Associate on this project. My primary responsibility was the development of the Digital Toolkit, researching the areas that tools would be helpful, working with our partners to collect information about the tools, developing the tools and managing other developers who were involved in the project.
The apps I developed or managed were:

PONToon Map: I managed a developer within the University in the development of a map designed to help job seekers find careers based in their area.Career Guide: This web app gives the user a personality quiz before recommending jobs that match their chosen answers. I managed the programmers and graphic designer who too the prototype through to completion.360 Train Station: I was responsible for the design, UI and implementation of a small train station viewer for Google Cardboard. Created in Unity.Community: A web and mobile app which allows community groups to share pins on a map between their members. I liaised with an external developer who created the android/ios version and managed a team of 2 student programmers who developed the web alternative.Virtual Gallery: A Google Cardboard and Web representation of Aspex Gallery. The web version has images from across the PONToon Project and the Android version allows users to upload their own photos. I designed the software, did 3d modelling and texturing while managing a programmer who developed the functionality. Created in Unity.VR Train Station: An app for the Oculus Quest that allows users to practice at buying tickets, navigating train stations and interacting with station staff. I designed the app, did 3d modelling, texturing and scripting. Created in UE4.PONToon Digital Quiz: Originally a card game developed by a French Project Partner. I designed the digital version and developed the UI and content while managing a programmer who created the question and answer functionality. Created in Unity.

• Pontoon Apps
• PONToon Project

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Fatherland

Fatherland is an immersive VR and Motion Capture focused theatre production. This was created in partnership between the University of Portsmouth and Limbik Theatre and funded by CreativeXR.The performance saw an actor using motion capture interact with a user in a HTC Vive while performing to a live audience. The person in the headset would be the eyes of a character for the audience, everything they looked at would be shown to the audience projection screens.In this project I developed the 3d artwork for both characters & environments and built the digital sets and scenes within the Unreal Engine. To develop the final performance I would work with the actors and writers of the production in an iterative workflow.This was a very rapid production with constant changes to the script, performance and layout of each scene. I had to work quickly to create and recreate assets, constantly changing the locations and finding clever ways to reuse assets that were no longer needed for their intended purpose. By the end of the production I had developed over 12 virtual sets and 6 characters with various iterations on each and the final performance has a running time of over 45 minutes.

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University of Portsmouth VR

From June 2014 to August 2017 I worked for the VR research team at the University of Portsmouth. Here I was a Research assistant on a wide variety of projects. Many of these projects were focused on healthcare and wellbeing including tools for walking rehabilitation, phantom limb pain and substance abuse. I was also responsible to assisting with teaching the VR unit to students and running a VR club, helping students use the technology and build their own software.

Some of the projects I worked on during my time with the VR team included:RITA AR: I created an AR version of the RITA project digital avatar which could be loaded using a phone camera and business card. Created in UnityLife 3D: We worked alongside the Bioscience department to create a 3d printed molecule with interactive digital training elements. I was responsible for research and application design alongside programming RFID chips set within 3d printed models.ICJS: I developed a VR viewer and interactive scene for a project based around alcohol misuse and rehabilitation. The scene was viewable in Gear VR and Google Cardboard and was linked with a text based game app. Choices in the text game would influence the VR scene based on the state of mind of the character. Created in UnityHEIF: I created artwork for the scenarios in an app developed to assist users suffering from phantom limb pain. Created in UnityHEIF 2.0: I created the 3d art and textures for an endless runner game. This game replicated a Playstation art style with heavily stylised low poly models. This used the Myo sensor as the input device, allowing your hand muscle movements to control the character. Created in UnityVirtual Walking: I reimplemented and updated assets for an application using D-Flow which uses an interactive Treadmill and rear projected screen. Created in D-FlowRedirected walking: I created the 3d assets and environments for a game based around redirecting the walking patterns of users in VR.VR Panic Room: I created the software and 3d art for a VR Horror art installation for Sticks Gallery and Live Art Local CIC's Director, Beth Davis-Hofbauer. This was a UE4 project where the user was placed in a HTC Vive and navigated around a horror themed environment. Created in the Unreal Engine

Publications
The Accessibility of Commercial Off-The-Shelf Virtual Reality for Low Vision Users: A Macular Degeneration Case StudyGetting around in google cardboard – exploring navigation preferences with low-cost mobile VR

I like to take part in gamejams with the goal to create a game within a short, predefined period of time. Below are a selection of my games I have worked on for these jams. Click each image below to be taken to the page or video: