Robin is the founder of SoundSelf. A Virtual Reality game that takes players on a self-discovery trance experience using their own voice as a driver for visual and sonic exploration.
Robin began building SoundSelf 6 years ago while still working as a Sound Designer for Video Games such as The Stanley Parable and Antichamber. About 4 years ago he dedicated full-time to SoundSelf.
I really enjoyed our conversation, and learned a WHOLE lot.
If our society had a digital Shaman distributing experiential wisdom thru computers and programs, Robin would be it.
He is an articulate experienced explorer of Consciousness. Robin's fascination with consciousness, exploration, art, and tools clearly has benefited his life and his expression of self thru art.
Robin is a self defined Sound Designer. Not a musician per-se, rather a creator of 'Sound Systems.' Systems which interact with their consumers and environment… e.g. video-games.
Robin's desire to create SoundSelf was initially motivated in part by his first “oneness” experience at Burning Man while on Psychedelics. The pivotal insight occurred when he looked at his unique set of skills, background, and thought… Hey, I think I can do this, I think I can generate similar states of oneness with computer/game technology and an Artificial Intelligence conceptual framework.
Our conversation spanned so many intellectually and personally fascinating topics. Topics I intend to explore further in future episodes.
Robin is an ardent consumer of information, a reflector of social change, social media, and a Burner. His Video Reflections on Facebook are a wonderful point of perspective on the State of VR, Tech, and their projection/direction.
Topics in this episode:
- How can we apply frameworks of Gamification to consciousness healing?
- What motivates a pioneering entrepreneur in this space to build, to create?
- How could this technology be applied to healthcare?
- What are the moral questions surrounding intentional altering states of consciousness in a programatic way?
- How does someone get people to use and interact with their software creation?
- What is the future of healing, computer-aided, or otherwise?
- How does the efficiency and individual efficacy of healing change as ancient technologies like meditation, acupuncture, herbs, are mixed with newer technologies like, medication, Virtual Reality, Virtual Communities, programatic computerized prescription, and mass-distribution?
- Does fullness and range of experience define life enjoyment?
- Is future technology there and just awaiting discovery, is it created, or a combination?
- What’s the future hardware landscape look like for these kinds of programs?
- When will peripherals be integrated as a whole aspect of Virtual Reality hardware, for example, EEG, EKG? What will be the motivating forces for those integrations?
- What makes for a good consumer product in this space?
- How does one choose creative constraints in their initial product development?
- What is AI in the realm of consciousness programming?
- What is Normal culture, Normal Human?
- Is the 'Now' the science fiction of yesterday? The weird history of tomorrow?
I leave you with this quote Robin shared from Terence McKenna:
"The drugs of the future will be computers. The computers of the future will be drugs."