Ethan Burch

Ethan Burch has a diverse and extensive work experience in the fields of game design, virtual reality, and simulation. Ethan started their career as a PA, Key PA, grip, and props assistant at Seventy 7 Productions from July 2011 to March 2012. From February 2013 to June 2014, they worked as a cheesemonger at Plum Market. In 2014, they joined Drexel University as a work study assistant, where they assisted professors in creating mock-ups and wireframes for a new department website. Ethan also organized office files and live-tweeted a Q&A visit by Michell Hurwitz.

At Drexel University, Ethan took on various roles, including digital media specialist from December 2015 to July 2016, where they focused on visual design and created video projects to promote department research. Ethan also served as a game designer and research assistant from January 2015 to June 2016, contributing to the development of an exergame that emphasized cooperation and competition. Additionally, they worked as an adjunct professor at Drexel University from January 2017 to September 2017.

Ethan's involvement in the field of virtual reality and simulation began in September 2017 when they joined the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs as a simulation fellow. During their tenure, they worked on various projects, including a virtual patient game with UNC, a VR injection simulation game with Duke School of Nursing, a suicide e-learning project as a narrative designer, and the development of VR documentaries for staff education. Ethan also had the opportunity to speak at ECGC 2018.

From September 2018 to September 2019, Ethan worked as a game designer at the Center for Innovation in Pharmacy Simulation (CIPS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ethan primarily focused on the design and development of nXhuman, a virtual patient game that involved in-game dialog, narrative design, usability testing, and collaboration with programmers and artists. Ethan also contributed to Lab Safety Rules, a web-based and VR-based game centered around chemistry accident prevention.

In November 2019, Ethan continued their work in the field of game design and development as a unity developer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here, they designed and developed a first-person flythrough in an Afghani village for rehab and reaction time testing, as well as an interactive fiction game on the impacts of hurricanes in North Carolina.

Ethan's skills and expertise in game design and development led him to their next role as a unity developer at RTI International in March 2020. Ethan actively contributed to the design and development of apps for internal and external clients. Notably, they worked on the development of a COVID-19 gamified simulation, Adventure Squad in collaboration with UNC Children's Hospital, and an AR app for showcasing protective garment testing.

Ethan's most recent work experience is as a senior build designer at STRIVR, starting in April 2023. The details of their role and responsibilities at this position are not provided.

Outside of their employment, Ethan has also pursued freelance work, including consulting for game design in a pharmaceutical VR game for training sales representatives. Ethan also writes branching narratives, design docs, and audio design for serious games related to homeless populations and emergency room experiences for BioMojo.

Ethan Burch earned a BA in Media Arts and Studies from Wayne State University, where they studied from 2007 to 2011. Following that, they pursued a Master of Science degree in Digital Media at Drexel University from 2014 to 2016.