FutureFounders, a pilot program from the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, launched a VR Fellowship in September for young technologists looking to make social impact.
The inaugural cohort, comprised mostly of South Seattle residents ages 18 to 24, learned VR (virtual reality) design and coding and built a prototype of the Rainier Beach Food Innovation District in just four months. The VR app is a game called “XR Valley” and can be played on the Oculus Go.
Come meet the Fellows and try their VR game!
The concept of the Rainier Beach Food Innovation District, led by the Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC), clusters manufacturing, technology, and food sectors around the light rail station to provide access to career-path living-wage jobs, strengthening the local economy through production rather than consumption.
The VR Fellows wanted a way to help the Rainier Beach community visualize and feel ownership of the Food Innovation District, so they learned how to create immersive experiences using the Unity gaming engine and C#, a common programming language for VR. In addition to working with RBAC on the project, they also had help from companies like SIXR, Chronos Global Academy, Floodgate Academy and other local tech experts and mentors.
Experience South Seattle's Food Innovation District in virtual reality! Use an Oculus Go headset to navigate the neighborhood virtually, as you visit places in the Food Innovation District via the Metro Bus, like the Farm Stand, Marketplace, or the Food Research and Development Center.
Doors open at 6:00pm, and the event will kickoff at 6:30pm with a brief presentation. Demos will take place from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. The event will be family friendly, and light refreshments will be served.
