Mary has been a technology industry leader and forward thinker for over three decades. Starting out with the technological explosion in the 1980’s, she developed a reputation as an authoritative voice on the development and application of new media, animation and VFX technology for entertainment and education. From Computer Graphics to Virtual Reality. Mary with a group of scholars at UCLA created the term “edutainment” as a way to explain a new form of education.
After founding her own multimedia company in 1981, Duda Design, Inc., she quickly gained acclaim by producing Disney World’s EPCOT Grand Opening (1983), which utilized multimedia in ways never before realized. Upon completion of her work with Disney, Duda became the leading multimedia architect for the Los Angeles Olympic Committee. Duda then went on to work with AFI (American Film Institute), the U.S. Government, the Canadian Government and to develop next generation ‘edutainment’ programs for publisher Houghton Mifflin.
In 1996 Duda pioneered the production team that was responsible for “A Virtual Day in Paris,” which was one of the first live cybercasts in history. In 2000, Duda established Virtue Arts, a technology software company. As CEO/President of Virtue Arts, Duda has used her extensive knowledge of multimedia and software to manage the deployment and development of industry leading scripting tools which allows programmers to more quickly and efficiently write programs. In November of 2003, Duda launched VirtuePlay, a game development company to take advantage of the power of the software. In 2011, MoonPlay Inc was launched as the premiere digital game creator for science games. In 2016, SCiOArt was launched as the parent company of the MoonPlay brand. SciO is Latin for Knowledge or to understanding, the company moto is the Art of Knowledge Learning through fun. Starting in Q4 2019, SCiOArt is producing a series of simulation digital games, including the first virtual world of its kind: Moon Racing Challenge; an astronomically and physically correct lunar exploration racing game later this year.
She is currently writing her PhD dissertation on accelerated learning using immersive techniques in Virtual Reality at Pepperdine University and holds a BS in Media Arts from William James GVSU and an M. Ed in Ed Tech from Pepperdine. From 1985 to 1997, Duda taught and was an advisor to the Animation, Computer Graphics and Interactive Technologies as part of UCLA’s professional program. She lectures worldwide on the subjects of Edutainment, Animation, Visual Effects, Interactive Games and advanced learning systems. Duda is a leading proponent of non-violence in games and ethics in VR/AR and AI.