NYU Game Center Lecture Series Presents Zeke Virant

NYU Game Center

Zeke Virant - Game Center MFA alum and lead game designer at MachineGames - is visiting as our first Lecture Series talk for Fall 2025!

Join us for a talk on how MachineGames developed a first-person game focused on simulating hands-on experiences and adventure over action. This talk goes through the design process for developing the GRIP system (grab, reach out, interact, push), the hurdles of encouraging hand-to-hand combat over gun combat, and the never-ending pursuit of creating authentic Indiana Jones interactions.Zeke Virant (MFA '14) is the lead game designer at MachineGames and a graduate of NYU Game Center's MFA program. With over 10 years of experience in game development, he has designed and contributed to indie games, as well as AA and AAA titles. Before games, Zeke wrote and directed experimental operas and cleaned people’s apartments. Poster by Eva Sterrett. Find more of her work here: <a href="https://sterretteva.myportfolio.com/" title="https://sterretteva.myportfolio.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://sterretteva.myportfolio.com/</a>