are you a game developer? then
make game development fun again by working on anything you want, even really simple games
explode the potential of Virtual Reality or pioneer totally new kinds of games
win big with the very real commercial opportunities while doing lasting good for other people
It's really fun to develop for the Joyride.
One reason is there's freedom to do whatever you want. Do you like making cool characters? Great art and awesome landscapes? Novel game mechanics or an engaging story? Pick what you like and go!
Players expect a lot from a modern game, and they can be harsh critics when they don't get it. There's pressure to compete with other games that cram in lots and lots of features. But that is not the case with the Joyride.
Normal games have to try and entertain you from the ends of your fingertips. But the Joyride engages your whole body. The experience isn't comparable.
Running, riding, flying, sprinting... these things are all intrinsically fun. Riding the Joyride is rewarding in and of itself. Your game just needs to put it in context.
Two out of every three people we've told about the Joyride have immediately said they want to cycle round a virtual landscape. That's it - that's all they wanted out of it. You barely even need to add logic, just make a great map and you have a saleable game...
...which is no reason to stop there!
The entire gaming spectrum is open to you, and the Joyride will make it all feel richer, more vivid, and more immediate than ever before.
Your levels will feel more solid and epic when your players must physically ride through them. The act of actually running will add real adrenaline to fleeing or chase scenes.
And with precision positional control, things that never quite worked using digital old buttons will now feel amazing! (3D platformers, we're looking at you.)
But we haven't even scratched the surface. What about RTSes where you can ride across your battlelines? Procedurally generated Roguelikes that go on forever? Physical MMOs? Virtual pets who let you run and hunt alongside them?
Surprise us.
You need to know what you have to play with, so here it goes:
The Joyride is still in development and we may add or change features.
A lot of people - many of them non-gamers - will be using the Joyride as a means to get fit.
'Work out' apps and games already exist, but... don't you think you can do better? Exercising your body without your mind is boring and there's a good reason why people don't enjoy it.
Games have the power to break the most common downfall for people trying to get fit - gaming can make exercising something you want to come back to.
A proper game should occupy both mind and body and hone each in harmony with the other.
Create games worthy of the name - with plots, enemies, and mission objectives. Create games in which working out might be the core mechanic, but it's not the only focus in and of itself.
Or create games that stretch the mind at the same time as condition the body. Combine a workout regimen with Candy Crush Saga. Make Sprint Sudoku a thing.
It's a whole new space. You make the rules.
VR is undoubtably the future, but as of right now... well, it's hard to make epic adventures when the player can't move more than a few steps without bumping into his desk.
Enter the Joyride, allowing infinite travel in a way that is far more natural, immersive, user-friendly and unobtrusive than the many workarounds currently in use.
Individuals will vary, but our experience is that another common hang up - motion sickness - is also ameliorated by the act of pedalling.
It's so much easier to make great games now all these constraints are lifted. Joyride+VR makes all sorts of new premises possible.
There's going to be a gold rush on new game principles, mechanics and concepts - so get in there before all the good ideas are taken!
You can give your users VR experiences with nothing but the smartphone in their pockets.
Smartphone VR, such as the likes of Cardboard and Daydream, were a fun little novelty, but what can you really do with it? As of now: quite a lot.
The Joyride allows players to wear their smartphone while having access to all the buttons they need, as well as pedals and steering wheel.
Developing for mobile is naturally more constrained - but you can still do a lot. In our lab we were able to run around the Green Hill Zone using an old, jailbroken Galaxy S3!
From a purely commercial standpoint, there's a lot of opportunity here.
The gaming market is pretty saturated right now, and it can be very hard to make your mark as a new developer.
But the Joyride opens up a whole new sector where - for the early birds at least - you'll have relatively little competition. Your game will be able to stand alone.
How big is this new market? Very, very, very big.
We are right at the beginning of what could be a revolution in gaming. Make a game for the Joyride and -
At Exertia, we believe that there is an ongoing health crisis, with obesity, depression, and anxiety all spiralling out of control - and it's all very much down to our modern sedentary lifestyles.
We want our Joyride to be the thing that corrects this problem. We want to make exercise natural again, to allow people to remain healthy in a way that's voluntary, unforced, relaxed, and fun.
If this works, it will represent a very positive change for a great many people. And, if this works, it will be computer games that stepped in to help us all.
You can be a part of that. Be one of the early movers and add your game to the ranks. You may make more of a difference than you know.
So how can I get started?
We are currently working on a Unity plugin, after which we will proceed to address Unreal and other common game engines.
If you have a preference, get in touch and let us know. We will work to make life easy for those who talk to us.
So what can I do right now?
Give us your email! Sign up now to get notified the moment it's ready.
In the meantime, think about ideas for all the games you'll make!