A post-event report may be downloaded here

The MITACS Interactive Gaming Forum will bring together key industry players and leading academic researchers in BC, as well as, policy makers and regulators. The goal of the forum will be to begin a dialogue to understand the needs of the industry with respect to both innovation and talent. Participation is by invitation only and the total number of participants will be limited to ensure stimulating discussions.

The main issue is to identify the specific areas of research and training required by the industry. In addition, we need to understand the barriers related to academic/industry partnerships. Intellectual property agreements, budgets and timelines are just a few of the challenges that arise. Who do we need to involve to ease these barriers? What are the consequences if we don’t and what can realistically be achieved?

These issues will not be resolved in one day, but we must recognize that there is a disconnect and we need to ensure that industry continues to invest in innovation and reap the rewards of that investment. Are current post-secondary programs meeting talent requirements? What are the gaps? Are the timelines of the gaming sector too short to validate investment in research? How can we design research agendas to benefit the industry? These are just some of the more specific questions that need to be tackled.

This forum is being organized as a Partner Event during Vancouver Digital Week - please go to http://www.vancouverdigitalweek.com for more details.