Virtual Heroes, Inc.

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Virtual Heroes, Inc. is a serious game developer in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. It was founded in 2004 by veteran developers with an average of about ten years in either the entertainment gaming or simulation & training industries.

Organization

Virtual Heroes, Inc. is headed by CEO Jerry Heneghan, formerly at Tom Clancy's Red Storm Entertainment and Research Triangle Institute (RTI). Heneghan is likewise an army veteran, with specific expertise in flying Apache helicopters. He is the current president of the North Carolina Advanced Learning Technology Association (NCALTA).[1]

The company's Chief Technology Officer, Randy Brown, worked with Heneghan at RTI.[1] Its Chief Financial Officer, Bob Pickens, teamed with Heneghan at Red Storm.[1] Takayoshi Sato, Virtual Heroes' Art Director, is widely acclaimed for his work on Konami's "Silent Hill" series of games.[2][3]

In 2009, Applied Research Associates acquired Virtual Heroes.[4]

Projects

Virtual Heroes' initial projects focused on creating new technology and content for the official, high-profile U.S. Army game America's Army, leading to the concept of the America’s Army Platform now being used for a number of DOD computer based learning applications.[1] More recently, the company has expanded its Serious Games projects to include space exploration, Medical training and DVHT, "Dynamic Virtual Human Technology".[5] This expansion reflects the Company's greater emphasis on its HumanSim product, a human physiology engine meant to emulate actual medical physics and response to medications.

Several recent high profile projects reflect this emphasis shift.

3Di Teams

Main article: 3DiTeams

3DiTeams was developed in collaboration with Duke University Medical Center and used for medical education and team training.[6][7] The game is intended for training and exercising of medical teams of practitioners of many levels of clinical expertise.[8] The scope of practice of the tools in the game are geared toward care of a trauma patient and the interpersonal communications that surround the patient's care. The training is based on the United States Department of Defense Patient Safety Program and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's TeamSTEPPS curriculum.[9][10] In 2006, the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC), a division of the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, funded a one year $249,530 award to support the "3DiTeams: Gaming Environment for Training Healthcare Team Coordination Skills" study.[11] The team was also awarded a 2-year $291,248 grant from the NIH Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for their study on "Virtual Health Care Environments Versus Traditional Interactive Team Training."[12][13]

Virtual Peace

Moreover, the company was a co-recipient of a McArthur Fellowship Grant to create a serious game intended to train Non-governmental organization's entitled "Virtual Peace".

Virtual rock performance

Finally, Virtual Heroes partnered with several other technology organizations to produce a high-profile, virtual rock performance of the band Smash Mouth at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV.[14]

Zero Hour: America's Medic

Main article: Zero Hour: America's Medic

Zero Hour: America's Medic was described by Wired Magazine as 'training first responders for real-life natural disasters and terrorist attacks.[15] The project was developed with George Washington University's Office of Homeland Security on a 4.8 Million dollar grant from the Department of Homeland Security.[16]

Moonbase Alpha

Main article: Moonbase Alpha (video game)

Moonbase Alpha provides a realistic simulation of life on a natural satellite based on potential moon base programs. It was made by the Army Game Studio, developers of America's Army, and Virtual Heroes, Inc. in conjunction with NASA Learning Technologies. The game was released on July 6, 2010, as a free download on Steam.[17] Moonbase Alpha was designed as a tech demo to test ideas to be used in Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond, NASA's massively multiplayer online game.[18] It was also designed to encourage an interest in space exploration in school children.[18] At the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in 2010, the games won the top honors in the government category of the Serious Game Showcase & Challenge.[19]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Virtual Heroes: About us". Virtual Heroes. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  2. ↑ staff (2010-01). "Virtual Heroes feature article in Game Developer Magazine". Retrieved 2011-02-14. 
  3. ↑ Sato, Takayoshi (2009-12). "The Dust of Everyday Life". Game Developer. Retrieved 2011-02-14. 
  4. ↑ staff (2009-04-16). "Applied Research Associates Acquires Virtual Heroes, Inc.". Retrieved 2011-02-14. 
  5. ↑ "Virtual Heroes: Healthcare". Virtual Heroes. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  6. ↑ Taekman Jeffrey M, Segall Noa, Hobbs Gene W, and Wright Melanie C. (2007). "3DiTeams – Healthcare team training in a virtual environment". Anesthesiology. 107 :A2145. 
  7. ↑ Taekman Jeffrey M, Segall Noa, Hobbs Gene W, and Wright Melanie C. (2008). "3DiTeams – Healthcare team training in a virtual environment.". The Journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. 3 (5 Supplement:112). 
  8. ↑ Rupinta, Amber (2008-03-03). "Medical students using games to practice". WTVD. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  9. ↑ Learning Systems (2008-12-01). "The Virtual Heroes Healthcare Learning System". Coggno. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  10. ↑ "TeamSTEPPS web site". Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  11. ↑ "News and Events: Taekman and Wright receive TATRC Funding". Duke Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  12. ↑ "Games for Health: report from the games for health conference". remedylimited.com. 2008. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  13. ↑ Taekman, Jeffrey M. "Virtual Health Care Environments Versus Traditional Interactive Team Training Grant number: HS016653-01". Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved 2009-06-30. 
  14. ↑ Gaudiosi, John (2008-01-07). "Virtual Smash Mouth Jam Planned for Intel Keynote". Wired.com. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  15. ↑ Gaudiosi, John (2008-06-23). Zero Hour Trains EMTs With Virtual Worst-Case Scenarios. Wired Magazine. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  16. ↑ Hom, Kathleen (2009-03-31). "Video Game Gives First Responders Advance Look at Emergencies". Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-08-25. 
  17. ↑ "Moonbase Alpha on Steam". steampowered.com. Retrieved 2010-11-09. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "A 3-D Immersive NASA Exploration Game". Retrieved 2011-02-14. 
  19. ↑ staff. "Virtual Heroes' Moonbase Alpha Wins Top Serious Gaming Honor at I/ITSEC". Retrieved 2011-02-14. 

External links

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