The LOCUS project is a game development learning platform developed by the Pacific Community Networks Association in partnership with Microsoft and Telecenters of the Americas partnership.

The idea for the LOCUS project happened while visiting CAP sites in the Yukon territories.   We were visiting small communities that were very isolated and hundreds of miles from the next community but each place had at least a T-1 connection to the internet and a CAP site.   Most CAP sites were in libraries or community centres.

One thing I noticed, especially in the north were youth with nothing to do and no where to go.  There was nothing to draw them into the CAP site.   It was impossible to say "come in and we'll teach you how to use spreadsheets...."   BUT...they were playing games.  

In the Sunshine Coast Regional Network there was a success story from the CAP site centre and that was the start of a game development business.  This business and venture was written about in a report to HRSDC on economic development activites in CAP sites.   We approached the business and talked about a way teach game development in these rural and remote communities.   LOCUS was born.

We expect to roll out the LOCUS educational platform in 2008 across CAP sites in the Pacific Region and Canada and then throughout the Americas.  

Overview:

One of the most diverse and accessible media forms made available through technology exists in the computer games industry. Computer games comprise multiple media disciplines in their production such as digital and traditional art, creative and technical writing, musical composition, sound design, project management, and programming.

Learning the craft of game development and getting involved in a project is the best way to become engaged with technology, learn new skills, and put them to use. A project of learning and skill development such as this can provide a means for individuals to join an international industry that respects no borders, formal education, economic circumstances, or cultural barriers; a young and vital industry where know-how, talent, and passion are all that signifies. The games industry can also be localized where talent exists, creating on-site technology sector jobs for groups working together as business units.

The online community project will provide a full, web-based curriculum in the numerous disciplines that comprise the art and science of game development. This curriculum designed and produced by world-class professional talent and supported by a public forum of mentors and peers, will give students a comprehensive education game development, friends and contacts in the game industry, and a pathway toward professional employment.