Government-funded 3D Gaming

Toronto, ON – March 3, 2011 The building blocks for the next generation of stereoscopic three-dimensional (S-3D) gaming are being put in place thanks to a major funding announcement by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture through the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s (OMDC) Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund along with support from Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).  

Together, OMDC, OCE, industry and academic partners will provide more than $635,000 in funding to Interactive Gaming Ontario 3D (iGO3D), a new collaborative effort that brings together the expertise of five universities, one college and a wide range of gaming industry partners whose mission is to drive the growth of the province’s digital media content industry. iGO3D’s primary partner is the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), where Dr. Andrew Hogue, assistant professor, Faculty of Business and Information Technology will serve as iGO3D project leader. 

“We thank the Ontario Media Development Corporation and Ontario Centres of Excellence for their investments in this important and timely initiative,” said Dr. Michael Owen, associate provost, Research at UOIT. “The collaboration between universities, colleges and industry partners will create an advantage for Ontario’s gaming industry, enhance their competitiveness and provide learning opportunities for our students who will be the next generation of game developers and entrepreneurs.”

iGO3D’s research efforts will include investigative issues related to comfort, effectiveness, audio and how the stereoscopic viewing experience impacts gameplay from both the player’s and developer’s perspectives. Other aspects of iGO3D’s mandate include development of a game test facility, further S-3D vision and auditory research with a view to establishing game design parameters and disseminating this information to Ontario’s gaming industry through focused webinars and conferences.

In addition to UOIT, additional partnering institutions include York University, the University of Waterloo, University of Western Ontario, the Ontario College of Arts and Design University (OCADU) and George Brown College. Industry partners include The S-3D Gaming Alliance (S3DGA), Electronic Arts Canada, Bedlam Games, Big Blue Bubble, Digital Extremes, Interactive Ontario and Junction VFX.

“Modern 3D video games are designed according to research done on 3D movies and gamer opinion studies are telling us this isn’t the right way to go,” said Neil Schneider, executive director, S3DGA. “Ineffective stereoscopic 3D viewing negatively impacts hardware sales, game sales and ultimately customer satisfaction. iGO3D will provide us with the ability to change all that with repeatable research and direct industry involvement.” 

While iGO3D was founded as a research platform for stereoscopic 3D games on desktop displays and 3D HDTVs, efforts are in place to add a specialized division for mobile 3D gaming markets on smart phones, mobile gaming devices and tablets. Interested game developers and technology enablers are encouraged to contact the S3DGA for available iGO3D partnership and sponsorship opportunities.

S3DGA is the official voice and standards body for stereoscopic 3D gaming, and as a non-profit organization, it provides for standards discussions, consumer promotion, education, and awareness. S3GDA’s membership is comprised of organizations and individuals with an interest in developing S-3D hardware and software solutions. Visit www.s3dga.com for more information about the alliance and its upcoming meetings.

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About UOIT

As an innovative university, UOIT delivers a leading-edge learning environment that uniquely combines academic knowledge, research opportunities, hands-on skills and a vibrant student life. UOIT's more than 7,400 undergraduate and graduate students are taught by professors who are experts in their fields from around the world. As Ontario's first laptop-based university, the university offers a diverse array of challenging undergraduate and graduate degree programs through its faculties of Business and Information Technology; Education; Energy Systems and Nuclear Science; Engineering and Applied Science; Health Sciences; Science; and Social Science and Humanities. UOIT's commitment to research excellence has resulted in millions of dollars in grants and awards, including seven Canada Research Chairs. To find out more, visit www.uoit.ca or call 905.721.8668.

Contact:

Bryan Oliver

UOIT Communications and Marketing

T: 905.721.8668 ext. 2209

C: 289.928.3653

E: bryan.oliver@uoit.ca

About the Ontario Media Development Corporation Entertainment and Creative Clusters Partnerships Fund

The investment from the Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund (the Partnerships Fund) will leverage an additional $7.6 million from 108 partners. The Partnerships Fund is designed to stimulate growth in Ontario’s dynamic and fast-growing entertainment and creative industries by promoting capacity building, marketing, innovation and skills development. The industries eligible for funding include: book and magazine publishing, film and television, music, interactive digital media and commercial theatre. From its inception in 2006, the Partnerships Fund has provided almost $12.7 million in support to 79 projects involving 487 partners with total budgets of $33 million. 

Contact:

Sharon Wilson

OMDC Communications

T: 416.642.6616

E: swilson@omdc.on.ca

About S3GDA

The S-3D Gaming Alliance (S3DGA) is the official voice and standards body for the stereoscopic 3D gaming industry. Its mission is to ensure stereoscopic 3D gaming's long term adoption and quality success in the consumer markets.

Contact:

Carol Warren

Crew Communications

T: 714.890.4500

E: carol@crewcommunications.com

About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE):

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario’s global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario’s industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and governments. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, Ontario Centres of Excellence invests in sectors such as advanced health, digital media and information communications, advanced manufacturing and materials and cleantech including energy, environment and water. OCE through its Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR), an initiative supported by the federal government, also acts as a catalyst which allows innovative business to grow and achieve sustainable commercial success and global competitiveness. Ontario Centres of Excellence is a key partner in delivering Ontario’s innovation Agenda as a member of the province’s Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE). Funded by the Government of Ontario, the ONE is Ontario’s innovation system. The ONE is made up of regional and sector focused organizations designed to help Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their companies, and create jobs. For more information visit oceinnovation.ca.