As has become our tradition over the last few years, we kicked off the year with a company-wide VR Game Jam.
Mersus use Game Jams to give staff the opportunity to collaborate with teammates they don’t usually work with, try out new things without a hard brief, and flex their creative muscles. There is always a theme or a goal, sometimes with the view that ideas generated in the Jam may be incorporated into our training modules, or other times that certain new gamified mechanics for Avatar Academy could be designed and worked out. This approach allows space for experimentation and creativity, while also generating work that can deliver real value to the organisation. This year, we were constrained to one particular VR location – our Avatar Academy Breakout Room. This space is envisaged as a room where multiple people can meet up in VR, watch slideshows and presentations, or socialise and play games. It is also an environment where users new to VR can practice navigation and interactions
So, the brief was to come up with fun and innovative applications that would fit into our existing breakout room. There were 3 teams who had 2 and half days to brainstorm, design, and build a fully working VR app or game that fitted the brief.
Team Moo-Sic produced a music game in the form of a mixing desk with retro aesthetics. Different music tracks could be mixed together and a turntable could be used for scratch and rewind effects. A screen displayed graphics that were generated by the beats of the music. In the allocated time Team Moo-Sic were able to make a machine utilising 4 tracks of beats. In the future they would like to build out the concept to include many more tracks and also a keyboard so that players could compose their own tunes and loops.
Team Moust, on the other hand, focused on performance and feedback where they made an experience where users get to present a slide show, and they are then critiqued by 3 different characters. The 3 different in-game characters were given distinct looks and personalities with some of them being highly critical with hilarious results! The AI-enabled avatars were capable of commenting on both the content of the spoken presentation by the players, and their delivery of it. Team Moust amped up the unique and funny personalities of the avatars, making this and engaging and humorous experience. It is easy to see how the same system could be used with more toned down and realistic avatars to help people with practice for public speaking, job interviews or any scenario people might feel the need to practice speaking in. It was very interesting to see, and the potential for it in both entertainment and training scenarios is obvious.
Finally Team Bop made a variation on the classic Whack-a-Mole game, but rather than simply whacking the creature (in this case, a bunny) there was also a mechanic of grabbing items (carrots). Having these two different things happening simultaneously increased the challenge and replayability of the game, but it also supported Team Bop’s sneaky ulterior motive – teaching users two of the hand gestures typically used in VR, the open handed press and and a closed fist grab. The fun and addictive game would definitely help new and unsure VR users to trust their VR hands! Crucially, the game ran smoothly and responsively, no small feat given the short Jam timeframe. Combined with their their cute and consistent branding for the game meant they clinched the coveted winning place in Mersus Game Jam 2026!
Wrapping up Game Jam 2026, we are thrilled by the fun and interesting proof-of-concepts that have emerged from our virtual Breakout Room. The creativity on display – from Team Moo-Sic’s retro music mixer, to Team Moust’s wickedly witty presentation coach, to Team Bop’s champion gesture-training game – demonstrates the incredible potential of this core social space. More than just brilliant prototypes, these projects represent a tangible roadmap for Avatar Academy itself. Once polished and complete, these applications will be incorporated directly into the platform, transforming the Breakout Room from a simple meeting area into a dynamic hub for creativity, practice, and play. The Jam has once again blurred the lines between experimentation and product, leaving us not just with fond memories, but with a clear, exciting vision for features our users will soon get to experience firsthand. This Jam reminds us that at Mersus, imagination and innovation go hand in hand, shaping the future of VR training, one experience at a time. Stay tuned for us to announce the official launch of these fun new features in Avatar Academy!
