Studio Arts Alumna Wins MIT Reality Hack with a Culture-Bridging Mixed Reality Experience

Louise Royer '22, an alumna of LMU Studio Arts, was part of a team that took home the top prize at the 2024 MIT Reality Hack Competitio n this January, in the Enhanced Learning with Meta Presence Platform category. Royer's team's immersive, mixed-reality application Legacy gamifies cultural learning and focuses on bridging the gap between different generations by providing authentic interactions.

Legacy allows users to participate in a virtual game where they are transported to the world of their ancestors, allowing players to gain exposure to several different cultural activities and games in an alternate virtual setting. The goal of the project is to increase connections between generations, allowing people to see what life was like for their ancestors in their countries of origin.

The mixed reality game that Royer's five-person team (other members were Jamie Dee, Aaditya Vaze, Sunrui Lu, and Samuel Tang) designed specifically focused on the Chinese culture during the time of Chinese New Year, which allows participants to make dumplings, play mahjong, and even gain exposure to learning the Chinese language.

According to Royer, the inspiration for her team's project stemmed from the recognition of a growing disconnect between generations and their cultural heritage. "As societies evolve, there's often a challenge for younger generations to connect with the traditions, stories, and experiences of their elders." For younger generations who live in a different country or environment from their country or family of origin, the game also provides users with the opportunity to reconnect with their heritage in a fun and immersive manner.

Reflecting on her experience at the hackathon and primary source of inspiration, Royer said, "We were a group of five where everybody in the group doesn't live in their country of origin. For example, I'm French, but I've lived in Hong Kong and then Los Angeles. As my team was talking about how we don't really know our own cultures, we found inspiration for our project stemming from a desire to help people find bridges between where they are and where they came from."

The MIT Reality Hack contest is an annual community-run XR (extended reality) hackathon that is intended to educate, empower, and enable people to be part of the XR industry. Royer first heard about the contest through Selwa Sweidan, an assistant professor of studio arts and multimedia arts at LMU. During her time at LMU, Royer also took several multimedia and animation classes where she learned more about graphic design, 3D models, and video game development, all of which were crucial to her participation in the hackathon, as well as her personal and professional path.

In discussing her goals for the future and for the project she helped design, Royer hopes to expand upon the game by incorporating different cultures worldwide, so individuals of all ages can play the game and find themselves immersed in a culture they have a personal connection to or even just want to learn more about.

The experience was a valuable outlet and opportunity to work on something that was personal and impactful for her, and the creative process of designing the game was so engaging that the competition aspect of the process almost didn't factor in. "We weren't thinking about winning, we just wanted to create a project that was meaningful for us and that we were proud of," Royer said. "We were not stressed at all for those three days of the hackathon, we were just having a good time and laughing."