Nicole He’s
Internet Realm 😎

Hello! My name is
(she/her) and you have reached my website. I am an independent game developer and creative technologist based in Brooklyn, New York.  You can see some of the things I have made over here ︎

I’m currently directing two unannounced videogames:  an experimental game produced by the National Film Board of Canada, and a commercial indie game with Nerial and Devolver Digital.

In the past, I’ve worked as a creative technologist at Google Creative Lab, and an outreach lead at Kickstarter.  I am also an adjunct faculty member at ITP at NYU, which is where I received my Master’s degree.

Beyond doing computer stuff,
I enjoy cooking, powerlifting, and recently, streaming on Twitch.

Contact

I am generally available for speaking events, so feel free to reach out for that, or if you just wanna say what’s up.

︎︎︎ email
︎︎︎ twitter
︎︎︎ mastodon
︎︎︎ github
︎︎︎ instagram
︎︎︎ twitch

If you want to follow my work and get (very infrequent) updates on new projects and announcements, feel free to subscribe to my newsletter here or below:

Select Interviews

︎︎︎ Kill Screen (2020)
︎︎︎ Believer Magazine (2019)

︎︎︎ ARTE Tracks (2019)
︎︎︎ WIRED (2018)
︎︎︎ Kotaku (2018)
︎︎︎ CBC Radio (2017)

Events


Past
︎︎︎ Game Developers Conference
    Talk
    March, 2023
    San Francisco, CA
︎︎︎ !!Con
    Talk
    November, 2022
    The Internet
︎︎︎ GAMES &&
    Talk
    November, 2022
    Princeton, NJ
︎︎︎ REFRESH #4
    Keynote
    November, 2021
     Zurich, Switzerland
︎︎︎ Whaaat!?
    Talk
November, 2021
Boulder, CO
︎︎︎ Design and Technology Cloud Salon
    Talk
November, 2020
The Internet

︎︎︎ SPACE10 Sessions
    Talk
May, 2020
The Internet

︎︎︎HarvardxDesign
    Talk
    February, 2020
    Cambridge, MA

︎︎︎ORD Camp
    January, 2020
    Chicago, IL

︎︎︎Playtopia
    Talk
    December, 2019
    Cape Town, South Africa
︎︎︎Machine Agencies at the Milieux Institute at Concordia
    Talk, Workshop
    October, 2019
    Montreal, Canada

︎︎︎Glitch Appy Hour @ XOXO 2019
    Demo
    September, 2019
    Portland, OR

︎︎︎The Conference
    Talk
    August, 2019
    Malmö, Sweden

︎︎︎Google I/O
    Demo
    May, 2019
    Mountain View,  CA

︎︎︎A MAZE.
    Talk
    April, 2019
    Berlin, Germany

︎︎︎Game Developers Conference
    Talk
    March 2019
    San Francisco, CA

︎︎︎Awwwards Conference
    Talk
    November 2018
    New York, NY

︎︎︎Creative Coding Festival
    Keynote
    November 2018
    New York, NY

︎︎︎Grace Hopper Celebration
    Demo
    September 2018
    Houston, TX

︎︎︎XOXO
    Talk
    September 2018
    Portland, OR

︎︎︎Artworld Videogames
    Exhibition
    August 2018
    Melbourne, Australia

︎︎︎ACMI Masterclass: Artworld Videogames
    Talk
    August 2018
    Melbourne, Australia

︎︎︎Google I/O
    Demo
    May 2018
    Mountain View, CA

︎︎︎True/False Film Festival
    Talk
    March 2018
    Columbia, MO

︎︎︎Interrupt Conference at Brown University
    Talk
    April 2017
    Providence, RI
︎︎︎WordHack
    Talk
    January 2017
    New York, New York

︎︎︎The Conference
    Exhibition
    August 2016
    Malmö, Sweden

︎︎︎FACETS
    Panel
    May 2016
    New York, New York


Etc

︎︎︎ Collaborators, friends, people I admire who make cool stuff ︎︎︎ Hello, Computer: Unconventional Uses of Voice Technology 2020 syllabus ︎︎︎ My student blog from grad school


😎

Secret Dunny Box



About

The Secret Dunny Box is a bathroom installation that lets you listen to a secret message left for you by the previous visitor, but only if you leave a message for the next person. It was installed at BAR SK in Melbourne as part of the Artworld Videogames exhibition.

"Dunny" is Australian slang for bathroom or an outhouse. The Secret Dunny Box plays into the slightly embarrassing intimacy you experience with other people when you use the same restroom. The box relays the previous message to you, not in the person's voice, but rendered into text-to-speech, possibly inaccurately. The effect is a public-yet-private game of Telephone between you and a stranger with whom you have at least one thing in common.

Allowing strangers to leave unmoderated, anonymous messages that will be played publicly is risky business that should generally be avoided, but BAR SK was a rare venue where the community was strong and respectful enough where I felt that an experimental art project like this could work. Months after the installation was finished, I finally looked at all the messages people left, and they were mostly endearing messages of support, or poop jokes.

 

You can see all the messages left with the Secret Dunny Box over the course of the installation here.

The Secret Dunny Box is built with an AIY Voice Kit, powered by a Raspberry Pi, coded in Python.

 ︎︎︎ Back