How the Studio Behind Shores of Loci Aims to Bring More Women Into VR
Over the last few years, VR has grown from being used largely by early adopters to a mainstream technology with many developers making games for many different types of players. But while a third of all titles in the Meta Quest store generate more than $1 million in sales, the list of top-sellers are dominated by games that appeal to an audience that skews male.
To Ellen Utrecht, the founder of MikeTeevee, an advertising and film production company and VR production studio whose senior leadership team are all women, that dynamic presented a void in the market, and a great opportunity to fill it. “We felt that there was just not enough content that appealed to [women],” Utrecht says, “So we decided to venture into gaming and create something for ourselves.”
The result was Shores of Loci, a lovely 3D puzzle game released last year that blends art, architecture, and music. Created by a team made up predominantly of women (including its creative director, executive producer, producer, associate producer, and social media manager), Shores of Loci was inspired by groundbreaking and artistic games like the mouse-sized VR adventure Moss and the award-winning mobile game Monument Valley.
“When we set out to create a puzzle game,” Utrecht says, “Monument Valley was our primary source of inspiration. We were drawn to its simple gameplay and stunning design, and we knew we wanted to take that concept to the next level with a 3D, larger-than-life experience” that would take advantage of VR’s strengths.
Shores of Loci combined elements of architecture and natural landscapes from around the world, from traditional Andalusian houses and Oscar Niemeyer’s modernist structures to Celtic-styled hillside environments and Arctic landscapes with Viking villages. The game introduces a community of giants whose world has been destroyed and tasks players with helping to reconstruct it.
Doing so might remind players of a wholly different experience: snapping pieces together like LEGO bricks. That, says Utrecht, is no coincidence. It’s because MikeTeevee long worked for LEGO and wanted to incorporate some of the same childlike enjoyment into Shores of Loci.
MikeTeevee began working on Shores of Loci during the early part of the pandemic, when many people were stuck at home and struggling with anxiety. At the same time, Meta Quest 2 hit the market and began growing in popularity. Utrecht recalls having previously made a 360-degree film and being underwhelmed by the experience of watching it in VR—but with Meta Quest 2, she was blown away by the potential.
Still, she didn’t see all that many games or apps that provided “meditative” or “calming” experiences, nor the kind of non-violent gameplay that stimulates players’ minds and lets them unwind—genres she felt might appeal to a large number of women and bring them to VR.
And that was what MikeTeevee was aiming for with Shores of Loci. The game “offers a captivating experience for women with its stunning visuals, soothing colors, and tranquil sound design,” explains Utrecht. “Unlike other games, there’s no time pressure, making it perfect for relaxation and meditation.”
She believes that many of the biggest VR companies have yet to commit fully to creating content aimed at women. And that may be a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem: If women can’t find enough to keep them interested, they won’t buy VR headsets. And if the audience isn’t there, developers won’t make content for them. The key is recognizing the dynamic and having the desire and creativity to change it.
That’s where MikeTeevee, as a production studio led by women, believes it can play an instrumental role in disrupting the traditional flywheel of content development and buying habits that has led VR (and its augmented reality cousin) to be so male-centric. Indeed, by one estimate, men make up 57% of those who already own a VR or AR device, and 69% of those who intend to buy one.
Is the solution as simple as getting more women involved in creating VR content? Utrecht thinks so. And that evolution may not be all that hard to achieve. After all, says Utrecht, “it’s not very difficult to get into the space as a woman nowadays because everybody wants women” on their teams.
All that’s really required, she adds, is that companies see the benefit of moving beyond the days when most games were created by men. “It doesn’t have to be an-all female team,” says Utrecht. “A woman can be the lead creative person and inspire the team…As long as there’s more balance.”
As technology evolves and pure VR is supplemented by new mediums like mixed reality, there will be room for many new kinds of content—much of which extends beyond hard-core gaming. And that’s where opportunities for women may well flourish, and in turn, get the flywheel going that expands the industry for everyone.
