{"id":7643,"date":"2018-10-23T10:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T14:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=7643"},"modified":"2018-10-25T14:59:38","modified_gmt":"2018-10-25T18:59:38","slug":"why-vancouver-is-a-global-vr-ar-leader-and-why-it-will-keep-growing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/why-vancouver-is-a-global-vr-ar-leader-and-why-it-will-keep-growing","title":{"rendered":"Why Vancouver is a Global VR\/AR Leader (and Why it Will Keep Growing)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It would have sounded surreal only a few years ago, but Vancouver has become a world leader in virtual reality and augmented reality (VR\/AR).<\/span><\/p>\n

And it happened fast, with a rapidly multiplying number of companies looking to Vancouver for the latest innovations in this futuristic technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happening is an explosion of VR and AR technology,\u201d said Dan Burgar, <\/span>President of the\u00a0<\/span>V<\/span>R\/AR Association<\/span>\u00a0Vancouver<\/a>, who has worked in VR\/AR for around four years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first started the VR\/AR Association of Vancouver, there were maybe 15-20 companies in the space. Now, there are about 220-plus, and Vancouver\u2019s listed as No. 2 in the world for VR\/AR development. It\u2019s just crazy where it\u2019s at right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If it still doesn\u2019t feel real \u2014 or you want to understand how this happened so quickly \u2014 here are some of the reasons behind Vancouver\u2019s VR\/AR boom, and what it means for the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vancouver\u2019s Film, VFX, and Gaming Industries Paved the Way<\/b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

With the arrival of the Oculus Rift DK1 in 2013, VR became something of an obsession in the tech world, and Vancouver already had a solid foundation in place for tech<\/a> jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The city was also uniquely poised to become a major hub for the swiftly developing technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith more than 17,000 people working in VFX and so many more in the creative industries, Vancouver is a virtual hothouse for the advancement of VR\/AR,\u201d said the <\/span>B.C. Tech Association<\/span><\/a> after consultation with Board members of the <\/span>Cube<\/span><\/a> society, adding that the city\u2019s strong historic backbone in the gaming industry was a key factor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLarge companies like EA and Microsoft have been key jumping-off points for VR\/AR founders and leaders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Vancouver\u2019s status alongside Toronto as \u201cHollywood North\u201d certainly helped. The city\u2019s bustling film production, VFX, and animation industries, along with that robust video-game production foundation, and the efforts of organizations like\u00a0<\/span>BC Tech<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>DigiBC<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>VRARA<\/span><\/a>, created perfect conditions for companies needing talent to learn a fledgling technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of these folks in those industries moving into building experiences for VR and AR, because those skills are quite transferrable,\u201d Burgar said. \u201cWith that ecosystem already in place, some government funding and the different tax credits, that has helped turn us into a major hub.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So far, the VR, AR, and 3D space has already led to\u00a0<\/span>17,000 new jobs<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and more than $2.3 billion in revenue for B.C. (For the uninitiated: the difference between VR and AR is that VR is immersive, while AR blends digital elements to a live view.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Many Companies (and Industries) Are Involved\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Microsoft has indeed been \u201ccrucial\u201d to the growth of the industry, notes Burgar, while Archiact and Finger Food were also an important part of \u201cputting Vancouver on the map.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But Vancouver\u2019s booming scene spans many industries and different types of organizations.\u00a0<\/span>Precision OS<\/span><\/a> brought together orthopedic surgeons and high-end game developers to create a realistic medical orthopedic simulator for training purposes.\u00a0<\/span>LlamaZOO<\/span><\/a>\u00a0uses VR\/AR to communicate data in the mining, oil and forestry industries.\u00a0<\/span>LNG Studios<\/span><\/a>\u00a0specializes in bringing VR to the architecture and real-estate space.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting because you\u2019ll find companies in every facet of the industry that are really building these experiences and really pushing Vancouver as the content capital of the world right now,\u201d Burgar said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Demand for VR\/AR Talent is Creating Opportunities<\/b><\/h2>\n

Although we\u2019ve covered how Vancouver was well-positioned to launch a robust VR\/AR industry, the rapid growth in this area has threatened to drain the local talent pool dry.<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent survey published by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce found that 66 percent of respondents replied that there was a general lack of qualified applicants in the region. The crunch might be felt particularly in the VR\/AR realm.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs can be seen across the technology sector in the province, VR\/AR firms from startup to scale-up are experiencing a talent shortage, with more open positions than there are workers,\u201d the B.C. Tech Association said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome good examples of growing companies that are actively hiring are: Archiact, FingerFood Studios, LlamaZOO, CloudHead Games, LNG Studios, Stambol Studios to name a few.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The trouble, however, is finding people with the right backgrounds to fill those positions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe major issue is being able to train people as fast as possible because as the industry grows, we will run into a bit of a job shortage,\u201d Burgar said. \u201cWe want to be able to both attract the best talent to Vancouver and build at the grassroots level. There are just a lot of opportunities for job-seekers and companies looking to move here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The VR\/AR Market is Just Getting Started <\/b><\/h2>\n

Looking ahead, there\u2019s little reason to believe Vancouver\u2019s VR\/AR boom will slow.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cube<\/span><\/a>, a 6,000 square foot incubator, was recently established as the first VR\/AR hub in Canada, ensuring a place for small and mid-sized AR\/VR\/MR companies looking to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even beyond the potential locally, there\u2019s the broader expectation that the VR\/AR industries more generally are on the cusp of exploding.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was recently estimated that the VR\/AR market will\u00a0<\/span>boom<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to $170 billion by 2022. This is stunning growth when you consider that it only broke the $1 billion barrier in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The technology is still maturing, but once it does, this boom could seem minor in comparison, and Vancouver tech professionals will be well-positioned to take advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re at the cusp of it right now,\u201d Burgar said. \u201cCompanies are building enterprise solutions that will really drive this technology to the point where consumers are adopting. We think it\u2019s about two-to-three years away from mass adoption. We\u2019re very close.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI see this only getting bigger and bigger.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It would have sounded surreal a few years ago, but Vancouver is now a world leader in virtual reality and augmented reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[84,614],"tags":[616,618,71,617,615,619],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Vancouver is a Global VR\/AR Leader (and Why it Will Keep Growing)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Over the last few years, Vancouver has emerged as a hub for virtual reality and augmented reality. 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