The venture capital investment arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Plan is partnering with the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab for a study on virtual reality in Canada.
The study will aim to better understand the realities of working in or with virtual reality, including the challenges it raises, how it affects companies now and its future growth potential.
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“Virtual reality is very much a nascent technology and it remains to be seen how the Canadian VR ecosystem will evolve,” said Prashant Matta, venture capitalist at OMERS Ventures. “This study will help us understand the opportunities and challenges that VR will bring to the entertainment industry and beyond.”
The research will look at companies based across Canada, including Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, with additional data gathered from California. The work will look at active virtual reality, including virtual reality games; passive virtual reality, which refers to things like linear documentaries; and hybrid virtual reality experiences, which combine both active and passive.
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The study will be executed by strategy, policy and economic analysis firm Norticity, and will be funded by the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, Creative BC, On Screen Manitoba and New Media Manitoba, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, la Société de développement des entreprises culturelles, and support from Super Ventures.