GLOBAL VR™
Industry Veteran RJ Mical Joins GLOBAL VR
Interviewed by Barb Roy

When GLOBAL VR™ recently announced that renowned industry veteran,

RJ Mical would be joining the company on a full-time basis, I took advantage of the opportunity to interview him in-depth about his past experience with startups and his thoughts on the current state of the industry, as well as future projections.

You will, no doubt, find his insight and curiosity for exploring the possibilities of new innovations, very refreshing. “RJ has an unbelievable passion for the industry, and an incredible history of inventing trend-setting entertainment products,” expressed GLOBAL VR CEO, Milind Bharvirkar.

RJ Mical co-invented the 3DO gaming platform and the Lynx Handheld Game System. He worked as a lead software engineer for Amiga/Commodore and was a special effects artist at Williams Electronics. “He will be driving all our new technology innovation efforts. He is responsible for making sure our developers have the tools and techniques they need to deliver the next generation experience, business model, and services that our customers and players have come to expect,” stated CTO, Aaron Baker.

BR: I understand you're from Illinois.

RM: Yes I am! A Chicago boy, no less.

BR: You've got a little bit of an accent though—you're not a native Illinoisan, are you?

RM: I was a native Chicago boy, yeah, but, it's been an interesting thing—my whole life, I've always loved the sound of people talking and, I've had this sponge-like thing going since I was a kid. I spent a lot of time on the east coast, I spent a lot of time in Toronto when I was growing up and I just, sort of, assimilated in some of the accents and idioms.

BR: You've had a lot of startup experience, both with your own business ventures, and working with other companies. What would you say initially attracted you to GLOBAL VR?

RM: I guess it would be two things: The combination of really compelling product—I think the whole idea behind GLOBAL VR is really brilliant. There is great potential for success for a lot of people and, the opportunity to bring a lot of enjoyment to many people. So, it was that good idea combined with the huge challenge of the job that I've been given. There are a lot of things to be accomplished in a short amount of time—organizing teams, building innovative products—it's exactly the kind of work I enjoy doing.

BR: You have a lot of background in engineering and in software development, as well as in entertainment. Do you find you're able to put all this knowledge to good use at GLOBAL VR?

RM: Yes. The entertainment industry by itself is a strange beast. It has a lot of its own demands. It's so quality-driven, so schedule driven. The entertainment software industry is tightly tied to schedules and release dates because of the business of software engineering. Having had the experience of getting things to work out correctly has been very valuable to me but even more than that is the engineering aspect. A large part of my job is being a good leader, understanding what needs to be done and, getting the team motivated to deliver.

BR: How does GLOBAL VR compare to other startups?

RM: Well, as you said, I've started from scratch myself and I've joined ongoing efforts. GLOBAL VR is in that magical period where it's no longer a baby company but it's also not some big, stodgy conglomerate that has a big ship to sail that's plowing through the water and is very hard to change in direction. The company's still small enough to be able to remain flexible and to be quick to react to market conditions and the opportunities that spring up out of nowhere. And, yet, there's already a maturity here and a sophistication in the approach to the solutions that keep the company moving forward that, it's refreshing—that wild-haired startup atmosphere. It's really exciting and it's really wonderful but it's fraught with perils. So many things can go wrong. This company is a good, solid company already that has its feet on the ground and has a clear direction. It's a company that's marching forward from the success of the past when it was a startup but now it is starting to grow a little bit more and those successes are working to its advantage now with the sort of people who are willing to work together to allow GLOBAL VR to put out content on these devices.

BR: You have a lot of experience with emerging technologies. In your mind, what makes one idea more viable to pursue over another when you're trend spotting?

RM: I probably employ a number of techniques but I guess the most tried-and-true is to put myself as the head of the demographic, which, in this case, are younger males. I ask myself, “What do people want out of these products?” and, “What kind of experience are they looking for?” In general with startups, I guess it's that same thing—trying to understand what the world looks like from the point of view of the person that we want to attract.

BR: Here's the heavy question. What do you see in the future for GLOBAL VR?

RJ: GLOBAL VR has successfully established itself as a company that is the premier provider of the coin-op, video gaming experience—bringing the quality of really good PC games and really excellent console games into the arcade space where the end purchaser and, ultimately, user, benefits from all the software and the really excellent engineering that has gone into the game to make it good for consumers in the first place—then, GLOBAL VR adds to that arcade quality and controls. You also get a multi-player community experience on an arcade-quality game that is inclusive. All of these aspects combine to create a charged, dynamic atmosphere that influences those participating, as well as those observing. Add to that the tournament system where people can have a persistent online identity that allows them to be part of a larger society with other players who are all enjoying this game experience together. It makes the game playing and the skill blend together in a way that is going to be very exciting for players. I see that trend continuing in the future. Now that GLOBAL VR has established itself and people recognize the name, it will be able to attract better and better properties over the next few years. The body of titles the company ships will become so rich that I anticipate working with the game companies to release the arcade versions at the same time as the home versions to help one another's sales and to make it a better product all the way around. Best of all, this will really give the consumer the best possible experience because they can learn and develop their skills at home and, at the same time, go to the arcade and play with friends, compete, and really get the community experience. It's the best of both worlds.