New Zealand business and education leaders are aware of the current growth and future potential of the globally expanding Virtual Reality (VR) industry. Recognising the industry growth opportunities and forecast for future earnings potential for New Zealand based businesses and those individuals who develop the skills and experience to be innovators within VR and the overall interactive media sector.
The New Zealand Game Developers Association released the Interactive Aotearoa Report in August last year, which identified that New Zealand’s interactive media sector grew by around 40% in the last financial year to more than $200 million in 2019… and is on track to become a billion dollar industry in 2025. More than 90% of the revenues generated are export earnings so the opportunity for growth of New Zealand based businesses is massive. “Whether it’s through game development, digital story-telling, augmented reality, education technology or health applications, interactive media has so many social, wellbeing and cultural benefits to offer New Zealanders and people around the world.” Phil Twyford (Minister of Economic Development)
Our industry is also called out as part of the New Zealand Digital Technology curriculum requirements that are now emphasised in all school learning paths in 2020. "In today’s fast evolving digital world our young people need to have the knowledge and skills to design and develop new digital technologies to achieve specific tasks or solve problems… We want to move students from beyond being simply users and consumers of digital technologies to building their skills and capabilities to be technology creators and design thinkers." Ellen MacGregor-Reid (Ministry of Education)
Aligning with this emphasis and potential, VR Voom offers a unique school holiday programme experience for kids aged 7+ and 11+ interested in areas associated with VR gaming and content creation. We provide opportunities for young learners to hone their skills and have their efforts recognised by producing work which can help them to achieve recognition at school.
Our courses enable students to discover what’s possible in the world with VR, we teach coding and programming fundamentals and ways to use software tools to design 3D modelling and create VR content. Students learn how to apply ways of thinking and design to solve a problem or realise a concept and develop an innovative approach to working within the rapidly changing technology landscape we see reflected in the world today.
Plus it’s a lot of fun too!
Have a look at the courses coming up in the April School Holiday break to see if you’d like to get involved.
Scoop Article: 23 January 2020 ‘Implementing digital technologies curriculum content’
