nGen receives grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation

nGen is pleased to announce it has received a $54,300 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For over 25 years, the Foundation has supported the growth and vitality of communities across the province. It continues to strengthen the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives. For more information, please visit www.trilliumfoundation.org .

The grant received by nGen will be over one year for a game designer, graphic designer and programmers to create a hybrid, downloadable reality game related to the War of 1812. This will help to develop interactive media as an economic and employment generator for Niagara.

The “1812: Interactive Niagara” game will be based on prototypes created by students in the Brock University Interactive Arts and Science Program. Tourists will explore the real world environment of Niagara, as well as virtual space, which they will access through phones such as the Apple iPhone. The medium of a hybrid reality game will be used to incorporate Niagara’s history and culture – especially those places, people and events connected to the bicentennial celebration of the War of 1812 into an enjoyable, interactive, and enlightening experience for tourists.

“The last 12 months have seen immense work and progress being made on the creation of this mobile game,” says Jeff Chesebrough, Executive Director, nGen. “The Ontario Trillium Foundation funding will permit us to expand the project allowing it to spread beyond the historical parameters of Niagara-on-the-Lake.”