Mountain Dew’s #GotHandles features the ultra-skilled streetball player and YouTube influencer known as The Professor. Designed as part of the brand’s interactive installation at SXSW 2017, it allowed fans to experience first-hand what it feels like to make moves and chain tricks like a pro.
Bookended by 3D 360 scenes featuring The Professor himself, #GotHandles brought the star to his fans in Austin, Texas - and continues to tour the country while being available for download.
Game Design
Although the game system we created was based on a simple "follow the leader" mechanic, we had to consider both the at-home user and those lining up to play the experience at installations. I created a short, replayable game loop that tackled both concerns.
Interface Design
One of the key challenges was how to communicate the complex movements required to simulate The Professor's tricks. I relied on my extensive VR experience to develop a system both intuitive and fun to use.
Creative Direction
Building out a story that leaned into the real/unreal duality of VR allowed us to drift from realism once the 360 intro faded into the game engine. Working with the tech team I helped visualize the illustrated look.
