Peru Party: Immersive Virtual Reality Dance Game Takes Center Stage at GDC

Nathaly Kalantar Cuéllar, a young communicator who developed Peru Party as part of her thesis project to earn her bachelor’s degree at the University of Lima, is the creator behind the game. Nathaly, who has always loved video games and dance, noticed that there was a lack of representation of Peruvian music and dance styles in popular games like Just Dance.

To bring her idea to life, Nathaly enlisted the help of the Information Technology Learning Laboratory at her university. The game uses virtual reality to provide an immersive experience for players, allowing them to explore iconic Peruvian locations like Machu Picchu while dancing to a mix of traditional and modern musical genres.

Nathaly personally trained the artificial intelligence (AI) used in the game by performing the choreography multiple times. The team behind Peru Party focused on showcasing a fusion of musical genres unique to Peru, highlighting the work of up-and-coming artists who blend traditional and contemporary sounds.

After presenting the prototype at various events in Peru, Nathaly secured a scholarship to attend the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, where Peru Party gained international acclaim. The team is now working towards releasing a free version of the game for the public to enjoy, with plans to further develop the project into a fully-fledged game.

Nathaly encourages aspiring game developers to participate in events like Game Jams to hone their skills and creativity. She emphasizes that technical knowledge is not the only key to success in the industry. With passion and determination, anyone can follow their dreams of creating innovative and engaging video games, just like Nathaly did with Peru Party.