Hey there VR fans. A bit of meta-news today. I’d like to welcome Dominic Eskofier to the Road to VR team. Dominic joins in as a news contributor. He’s well versed in the world of online journalism, works in the games industry, and shares our enthusiasm for virtual reality! Eagle-eyed readers out there will have already noticed that he’s authored a number of articles:
- Mechwarrior Online Oculus Rift Support On the Way?
- Oculus Rift USB Power Hack Eliminates Need for a Wall Adapter
- First Google Glass Unboxing Video Appears as Early Adopters Begin Receiving Units
- Second Life Developers Confirm Oculus Rift Support is on the Way
- EVR Oculus Rift Demo Steals Thunder at Eve Online Fanfest
I asked Dominic to share a bit about himself:
Hi, I’m Dominic and it is my pleasure to greet all readers of Road to VR from behind the news desk!
Not too long ago, I was a simple user myself and it still feels a little unreal to be writing for the site that I regard so highly in all things VR. But here I am and I will try my best and use my skills to make the site even better! So, what’s to say about me? I’m 28, live in Germany and when I’m not writing for Road to VR, I use my spare time for rock climbing, web surfing, beach volleyball, moderating subreddits like /r/oculus and just chilling with friends.
Another chunk of my time goes into video games. Me and my two brothers owned computers and consoles from a very early age on (Anyone remember the Sony MSX?), so I’ve always regarded video games as the medium of our generation. I think that video games are only in their infancy and that technologies like the Oculus Rift or the upcoming new consoles will propel our medium forward in the near future. I’m very lucky to be able to use my passion for video games at my workplace, since I’m a Product Manager in the games industry right now.
After studying Electrical Engineering, I decided to pursue my passion and started my career in 2008 as an intern at one of Germany’s largest gaming websites. After my bosses liked my work, I was offered an editor job, both writing for print magazines and managing content on community-focused websites. As Product Manager, I don’t spill out sentences in such a regular basis now, so being able to write for Road to VR is both an honor and a good outlet for my writing-itch.
So, why am I interested in virtual reality? To be honest, I completely missed the 90’s VR craze and maybe it was better that way. My first entry into a virtual space was via the Oculus Rift. After reading so much about it in the MTBS3D forums and seeing John Carmack demo the Rift at E3, I was offered the chance to try Palmer Luckey’s mysterious duct-taped device myself, at Gamescom 2012. I still vividly remember the feeling after my 20 minutes in a spacestation on Mars: despite my slight nausea, it was one of the most profound gaming experiences I ever had – the implications of the technology are just huge.
I couldn’t get the experience out of my head, daydreamed about VR Arcades and virtual wing suit flying and all the other possibilities. I soaked up every piece of information available about the Rift, cared about the growth of the Oculus subreddit and now, here I am at Road to VR, writing for one of the major outlets about virtual reality. As I said, it still feels unreal – but I sincerely hope all of our readers will like my upcoming articles. I had the chance to play around extensively with an Oculus Rift Dev Kit, so more information directly from the source will be coming soon – stay tuned!
Looking forward to amazing times with you,
Dominic