Computer science alum Austin Krauss (‘05 M.S.) always seems to be up to something interesting. The last time “Legacy” spoke with Krauss was a couple years ago, and at that time, the longtime senior software engineer for the legendary first-person shooter game “Call of Duty” was going in a decidedly different direction: playing family-friendly, old-school board games in virtual reality. The idea ran directly counter to many major trends in the industry, which is largely focusing on simulating physical reality or creating experiences for solitary users. Krauss, on the other hand, saw potential in using VR to allow geographically far flung friends and family to do something they might do if they were all together in-person. Neverboard, launched in mid-2021 at the height of pandemic isolation, seems to have struck a chord. The game now has 300,000 unique players, who use the platform’s laid-back living room environment to play trivia games or Crazy Eights, all while cloaked as cartoony avatars. While hanging out, you can also throw popcorn at each other, play a musical instrument, bounce a beach ball around the room or scarf VR tacos, which are programmed to fling crumbs out of your mouth. Krauss said the goal of these “concessions” aims no higher than silliness.
Neverboard’s creators have heard from all kinds of people who are using the game as a salve for the physical distance that COVID-19 has created between loved ones. One mom said she now looks forward to a board game night with her kids — some of whom are still home and some of whom have moved across the country. Others said they’re using the space not to play games, but as a fun non-Zoom way to hang out and chat with friends. “Some VR applications focus on doing all these really complicated things with your hands and head and body, and we laugh because ours is literally just sitting in a chair,” Krauss said. “But it seems like maybe we’ve tapped into this human need for people to be around each other. Personally, I think there’s a lot more potential for VR to do things like that. And if we’re helping people feel more connected, that’s something I can show my kids and be really proud to say that I made that.”
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