- Gameplay & Mission Designer
Narrative Systems & Worldbuilding
Design-leaning Producer & Coordinator
Narrative Systems & Worldbuilding
Design-leaning Producer & Coordinator
M.F.A in Game and Interactive Media
2022 - 2025
New York University
B.S. in Interactive Media Arts,
Minor in Creative Writing
2017 – 2021
Banana Republic
Present
Lead Narrative Designer
Desol
Present
Creative Director
Alibi
2024 - 2025
Associate Director, UIUX Designer
How to Pet Your Cat
2024
Associate Director, Level Designer
InSync
2024 - 2025
Design Lead, Quest Designer
Abort: The Exile
2023 - 2024
Narrative Designer, Writer
Installation Wizard
2023 - 2024
Narrative Designer, Writer
Grandma Green
2022 - 2023
Narrative Designer, Writer
Machine Heart
2022 - 2023
DaChu Interactive
Present
Cinematic Designer
SEASUN GAMES
2021 - 2022
UIUX Design Intern
Alipay (Shanghai)
2021
User Research Intern
Microsoft (Chengdu)
2020
Manager Assistant Intern
Microsoft Professional Program
2018
Game Development Principle, Tabletop RPG, Game System Design
USC Games
2023-2025
Information Assistant
NYU Academic Resource Center
2018
IGF alt.ctrl.GDC Finalist
2025
MUSE Creative Awards Gold Winner 2026
GDC 2025,
Day of the Devs 2025,
IGN Live 2025,
CatCon 2025,
USC Games Expo (2023, 2025)
Last Updated 25.11.05
InSync XR
Associate Director, Experience DesignerInSync XR is an interactive installation that pairs a VR journey with a large animatronic creature to explore touch, trust, and the return to bodily senses.
Participants enter a virtual cave and meet Omu, a mythical being whose heartbeat and breath synchronize across virtual and physical space. By aligning touch inputs with Omu’s rhythm, participants gradually soothe the creature, soften the environment, and restore peace to the world.
This project is proudly selected to show at SFMOMA with The Mix.
Info
- Duration: Jan 2026 - Feb 2026
- Genre: Interactive Installation, Themed Entertainment, VR Experience
- Form：VR Experience featuring an animatronic creature
- Length：10 - 15 min
- Team Size: 8
- Role: Associate Director, Experience Designer
In the physical space, Omu is a furred animatronic creature with heartbeat, breathing, and movement synchronized with its VR form. Sensors beneath its skin read touch input and update both states in real time. As participants learn the timing and rhythm, Omu’s wings unfold into an enveloping embrace, marking the moment of bond. The installation treats XR as a shared, responsive body rather than a one way spectacle, asking what extended reality can offer beyond visual representation in an era shaped by remote interaction.
© 2026 Rosie Gao. All rights reserved.