Josh Larson has spent the last fifteen years co-founding game studios and creating unique videogame experiences.
In 2012, Larson teamed up with Ryan Green to co-found Numinous Games, a video game company that focuses on providing deep and meaningful experiences.
Their latest release is titled Galaxies of Hope. Created in collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Galaxies of Hope offers a unique digital experience that engages users through the art of visual storytelling to connect with others to better understand neuroendocrine tumor (NET) cancer. Using real-life stories and voices of patients, caregivers and physicians in the NET community, the app aims to immerse users in their personal journeys.
“When you play through, it feels kind of like an interactive documentary, but the aesthetic of a videogame,” Larson said.
Numinous Games first project was That Dragon, Cancer, an immersive narrative videogame that retells Joel Green’s 4-year fight against cancer through about two hours of poetic, imaginative gameplay that explores faith, hope and love.
Numinous Games have also created busuu, which allows players to learn Spanish in a virtual reality environment and untethered, an episodic virtual reality series that is part comic book, part radio drama, part videogame.
“Our focus is largely on creating videogame experiences about how we relate to each other as human beings,” Larson said. “How we can love each other better and how we can value each other.”
Gaming Expo in Des Moines
This Friday, Numinous Games will be co-hosting “60 fps,” an expo featuring gaming and illustration artists throughout Iowa. Attendees can experience virtual reality environments, video games, tabletop games, arcades, comics and interactive art while also exploring over 65 art studios.
Larson helped organize “60 fps” to highlight artists in Iowa involved in the expanding fields of interactive design and gaming.
“Since I moved to Des Moines, I’ve been very hungry to find a game developing community to be a part of,” Larson said. “Over the last year, there’s been a group of us that have sort of solidified and concentrated into a group who are committed to each other. I’ve been really inspired by that and have been wanting to celebrate that.”
“60 fps” is free and open to the public and will take place at Mainframe Studios from 4pm to 9pm on Friday.