How I got into Oculus Launchpad

Sat, 04 September 2021

Background

This is just a reflection a week after having attended the Oculus Launchpad Bootcamp(OLP) -- this application retrospection is focused on the narrative-immersive-type application. I write this to inform future participants, as I learned a lot from others’ blogs on their experiences that prepared me.

I learned about the program in August 2020 after scrolling through Twitter a couple of days before the submission deadline. Back then I didn’t have a portfolio website or any VR work to show for, but I still applied with long answers that overflowed the form inputs.

I sloppily removed half of my essay as I mistook the character limit as a word count limit and submitted my application. Knowing I didn’t have a compelling application, I swallowed my pride, looked at the many unfinished unity projects, and was determined to finish something and turn in my application next year.

The how

Since then I have finished my portfolio website, where you’re reading this. I also made an effort of turning in my application a month early before the application deadline.

I spent a considerable amount of time writing my essays, working through at least 3 drafts for each prompt. I usually run a grammar check Grammarly(not premium), but allow my natural sentence structure.

I worked on VR Prototypes and attended an online VR course, XRTerra. Mind you, I don’t think you need to take these courses, but the timeline and investment made sense for me at the moment. These projects were mostly enterprise and simulation-focused, but they gave me the tools to build future prototypes.

Because I applied for the narrative-focused experience(although it seems like you can choose other focuses post-boot-camp) I also attached my senior capstone short film as a link.

I don’t think all of this is necessary for a successful application, but I do think it made me competitive for this program, a program where they don’t always accept the number of participants they allocated room for(up to 100).

What to be prepared for, critiques, and advice

Before applying my second time, I came across a Reddit post where a user described their OLP experience where they felt unguided. This helped me get prepared by explaining that the program is mostly hands-off and OLP doesn’t really give feedback.

After having attended Bootcamp, this mostly rings true, although they’re having a Unity VR building walkthrough sessions later this month. You’re encouraged to network and build your own team(If you didn’t come in with one), and they make it easy to schedule and seek others with certain skills using Hubilo.

The downfall of this method, along with the way this program is oriented for people of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, is that networking is a learned skill and, speaking from experience, it’s not thoroughly taught in poorly-funded schools nor is being at “ease” in dynamic social environments. Perhaps this critique is too honest, but it is evident to me by hearing from the same 20 or so people in the live-chats and discord channels. Where are the other 60?

I don’t think the onus of teaching these skills is on Oculus though, and I came into the program set on networking with as many people from my cohort, I just want to give my observation and encourage future participants who aren’t too confident in these skills to network even if you come in with a team.

I think one aspect of the program that I felt blindsided by is that many people came into the program with a VR App in the works and/or came in with a team prepared(even external to the program). These VR Apps had been a work-in-progress for a while now and they were sometimes seeking teammates to help or just to finish it on their own. It is by my own accord that I thought OLP was going to be more “Game-Jam-like” where we’d all start a project and finish a project at the same time.

The last piece of advice I’d give is from Sicilian who I got to speak with after the bootcamp, which was to define your own success and aim for it. For this OLP, as I still search for teammates, I’d like to submit a polished vertical slice and be part of the pitching of my app. These goals seem attainable and will be a good reminder through the 3-month period.

Lastly, I will keep myself accountable by streaming most of the work I put into the app. Please feel free to join me and let me know if you read this. I look forward to learning in public.