The Virginia Serious Game Institute (VSGI) will host an open house on Thursday in honor of its new space, which includes new labs, research space, office studios, and lounge.
VSGI is an institute for entrepreneurial advancement. It hosts startups and helps them through their business development. Currently, there are eight startups at VSGI. The Institute offers these startups, as well those from Virginia schools and businesses, hands-on training, certification, R&D assistance, business incubation services, access to cutting-edge technology, and rapid prototype development and marketing.
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The eight startups have so far been successful in creating 70 jobs and generating over $1 million in corporate support.
In addition, VSGI offers cutting-edge game design research and development, simulation and game training, and certification; visualization and simulation software development and rapid-prototyping. It hosts a number of simulated training courses and exercises, including an interactive virtual incident simulator for firefighter training and a game in which the player uses tools found in a typical American city to fight the influence of gangs.
VSGI can house up to 10 startups and has several IT sector partners, including Google Glass, Microsoft Studios, Boeing, the Entertainment Software Association, and the Northern Virginia Technology Council; among others.
The institute also supports the need to ensure STEM skills. It partners with George Mason University in hosting summer camps and workshops for kids. The Mason Game and Technology Academy teaches young people a variety of tech art and programming skills, such as using Photoshop, programming in visual Python, modding in Minecraft with Java, and more.
Dr. Scott M. Martin, founding director, VSGI, will speak at the open house. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the new space, learn about further expansion plans, including overseas locations, meet the VSGI business entrepreneurs, members of the VSGI executive advisory board, and see the innovative simulation tools and ‘serious’ games that are being created at the business incubator.