Community VR Project
Shift Culture VR
A VR dirt bike safety prototype built for B-360 under real client, hardware, and accessibility constraints.
Why It Matters
Featured by the University of Baltimore Newsroom on January 30, 2026
This was not just a class exercise. It had to reflect B-360's mission, run on affordable mobile VR hardware, and make sense in workshops.
- - Built with a real Baltimore nonprofit, not a made-up class brief.
- - Designed around Google Cardboard-style access instead of high-end VR assumptions.
- - Reviewed in person with B-360 during prototype testing.
Source: University of Baltimore Newsroom
Project Snapshot
- Client & MissionBuilt with B-360, a Baltimore nonprofit that uses dirt bike culture to connect youth with STEM learning, mentorship, and community support.
- TeamDeveloped in Dr. Elka Cahn's community-focused game design class with teammates Zefran Jehle and Lewis Plested.
- My RoleI handled technical implementation, VR interaction flow, gameplay feel, and comfort-focused iteration across the prototype.
Core Loop
- - Inspect a dirt bike in a workshop to learn parts and placement.
- - Answer short quiz prompts tied to safety and bike knowledge.
- - Test ride the bike in first-person instead of stopping at a static learning scene.
- - Make something B-360 could actually use in workshops, not just a flashy class demo.
Main Constraints
- Affordable VR TargetThe prototype was built around Google Cardboard-style mobile VR instead of expensive headset setups.
- Comfort FirstCamera behavior, movement, and pacing were tuned to reduce sickness risk for first-time VR users.
- Real-World UseThe goal was to give B-360 something they could use in workshops and outreach, not just show once for class.
How We Built It
- - Regular class critiques and team check-ins kept the scope under control.
- - Desktop and mobile test loops helped us catch comfort, clarity, and stability problems early.
- - We kept revising the UI, onboarding, and interactions to make the prototype easier for first-time users to follow.
B-360 Feedback
- - We showed B-360 a working prototype during our final in-person meeting and gathered direct reactions while they playtested it.
- - That session helped us see how the project might fit real workshops instead of just classroom expectations.
- - Nobody reported motion sickness during the session, which mattered a lot for a low-cost mobile VR build.
- - That feedback mattered more because it came from the people the project was for.
Current Status
- - The semester ended before the final cross-platform version was finished.
- - As of March 2026, Zefran and I plan to keep developing the project through Summer 2026.
- - The current target is a cleaner build for PC, Android phones, and Meta Quest headsets.
- - The next pass is focused on quality-of-life improvements, onboarding, polish, and broader device support.
What I Learned
- - This project pushed me to think less about novelty and more about usefulness, comfort, and access.
- - It taught me more about working with a real client and real constraints than a typical classroom project.
- - It also reminded me why I care about XR when it is tied to people and a real use case.