Papers

Vibe coding, virtual scenography, and the ELIZA effect: deciding, choosing, and making The Nether

Owen Brierley · Kingston School of Art, Kingston University London · Author preprint, June 2026

A practice-based account of using Claude Code as a vibe-coding workflow to develop VRChat worlds for The Nether, a mixed-reality theatre production with the University of Waterloo. Draws on Weizenbaum's distinction between deciding and choosing to examine where generative AI tools support creative production and where expert human judgement remains essential.

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Balancing simulation and gameplay — applying game user research to LeukemiaSIM

Erin Brintnell, Owen Brierley, Neil Christensen, Christian Jacob · arXiv preprint arXiv:2009.11404 · 2020

Collaborative work between bioinformatics and game design researchers, applying games-based player engagement strategies to improve the (re)playability of the LeukemiaSIM VR simulation and encourage greater player engagement and retention.

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A Protocol for Improving XR and Game Performance

Owen Brierley, Zachary McKendrick, Loic Cremer, Ehud Sharlin, Patrick Finn · Adjunct Publication of the 24th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services · ACM, 2022

A simple protocol for improving performance in technology-augmented experiences, synthesising established practices to improve state-change efficiency while prioritising healthy state changes that reduce potentially negative impacts.

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Towards Designing Audio Interactions with Autonomous Vehicles: A Hearing-Enhanced Pedestrian Story

Ashratuz Zavin Asha, Owen Brierley, Sowmya Somanath, Patrick Finn, Ehud Sharlin · AutomationXP @ CHI, 2022

A co-design study exploring how hearing-enhanced pedestrians — those using electronic hearing aids — might communicate with autonomous vehicles through direct audio links, developing audio cues to facilitate AV–pedestrian interaction.

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Homecoming: Exploring Returns to Long-Term Single Player Games

Noor Hammad, Owen Brierley, Zachary McKendrick, Sowmya Somanath, Patrick Finn, Jessica Hammer, Ehud Sharlin · Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · ACM, 2021

Explores what happens when players return to single-player games after extended breaks, identifying "the pivot point" as a critical moment in resumed gameplay and developing prototypes designed around it to help reconnect players with their previous experience.

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Computational Media Design: Using Graph Data to Improve Non-Player Character Acting in Games

Owen Douglas Brierley · Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary · 2023

Employs graph databases to enhance non-player character behaviour in games via a custom Neo4jConnector toolkit, spanning player movement recording and playback, reinforcement learning for NPC behaviours, and dynamic 3D geometry loading in cellular simulations — with applications for animators, game developers, bioinformatics researchers, and game studies scholars.

View in University of Calgary PRISM repository →