Tecnológico de Monterrey x VIVERSE: Designing for Interactive Media and Games
In a world where technology continuously reshapes how we create, connect, and experience digital spaces, the Master’s in Digital Art and New Media at Tecnológico de Monterrey, directed by Enrique García-Alcalá, stands as a pioneering program in Latin America. This fully online master’s degree is unique in combining art, technology, society, and cultural management, equipping students with the tools to shape the cultural ecosystems of the future.
As part of the course Design for Games and Interactive Media, a collaboration with VIVERSE enabled students to immerse themselves in the fundamentals of interaction, world-building, and creative publishing, using a 3D content platform and tools like PlayCanvas. What made this partnership special was its ability to bridge profiles from different disciplines: artists, engineers, marketers, and designers working together to explore how virtual spaces can function as a canvas for both expression and strategy.
Designing for the WebXR era
Throughout the course, students were introduced to the technical and conceptual basics of interaction and game design in virtual spaces. In multidisciplinary teams, they developed interactive experiences using VIVERSE, balancing creativity and functionality. Each group designed a meaningful virtual space—narrative, symbolic, aesthetic, or playful. Published directly to the web through a shareable link. The focus was on hands-on learning, with clear goals and roles that simulated professional workflows.
The course demonstrated how VIVERSE can function not only as a tool but as an accessible, expressive, and fully web-based medium. No downloads, no special hardware. Just ideas, interaction, and imagination.
Visit and watch Enrique’s YouTube playlist for examples of course media (Auto-generated English captions are available.)
From play to publish: Showcasing immersive learning
To conclude the course, students participated in a culminating showcase event where they presented their projects, explored each other’s virtual worlds in VR, and reflected on the creative and technical challenges of immersive design. The event also included a hands-on workshop led by Michael Morran, Developer Community Manager at HTC VIVERSE, where students explored how to build, publish, and monetize user-generated content using Unity and VIVERSE.
The entire experience was documented to capture the process, the collaborative spirit, and the innovation behind this educational experiment. Through interviews with students, faculty, and collaborators, including Michael Morran, the video highlights how a fully online master’s program can still foster genuine connection, creative experimentation, and a sense of community.
Why It Matters
This collaboration proved that even in a remote context, students can build compelling, functional, and expressive immersive experiences. It reaffirmed the potential of web-based platforms like VIVERSE to empower emerging creators with the tools to rapidly prototype, test, and share ideas. For students in the Master’s in Digital Art and New Media program, it opened the door to new artistic and professional pathways, where creation is not limited to the classroom but becomes part of a larger cultural dialogue.
Whether as immersive art, game design, or virtual storytelling, the worlds they built reflect a new generation of makers ready to shape the future of digital media, one experience at a time.
Did you know?
Enrique participated in VIVERSE’s Creator Program, creating and publishing Within, a liminal maze experience where each visit is a different experience, and your actions alter the music.
Want to learn more about the Creator Program before diving in? Check out, Shape the Future of 3D Experiences with the VIVERSE Creator Program, for your next read.
Written by Enrique García-Alcalá; Edited by the VIVERSE Team
