Shelburne ventures into virtual reality

Written By Paula Brown

Shelburne residents have the chance to immerse themselves in new realities and experiences from exploring the world, practicing rhythm and music, or even learning to fly.

And that's without having to leave town.

Legaci VR Verse, Shelburne's first-ever virtual reality arcade, celebrated their grand opening July 20. 

“We're quite excited that this is happening. We've put in a lot of work and hours to get to this point,” said co-founder Ann Marie Simpson-Pennant. “I think this was needed for our community, for young people and older alike, to have something new to do.

“We're providing a hub and a safe space where people can feel free to come to hang out with their family and friends.”

The virtual reality arcade is owned and operated by five members of the Pennant family – Everton Sr., Everton Jr. (Carlos), Eveanna, Jordan and Ann Marie. The Pennant family, who have been residents in Shelburne for nearly a decade, first explored the idea of opening a virtual reality arcade in 2022 based on their enthusiasm for video games, board games, and card games.

The arcade has six individual stations for players to play on their own on the virtual reality headsets as well as a free-roam room, where larger groups can play multiplayer games. 

The virtual arcade currently has six headsets to participate in the games. It's planned to upgrade to 10 in the near future. Some of the games available to play include rhythm, cooking, Google Earth, fighting and shooting games, and a flight simulator.

In addition to the virtual reality arcade, Legaci VR Verse is also looking to open a space for board games and card games.

“The whole point of a downtown is having diverse opportunities where the community can come together and this is definitely a unique offering,” said Carol Maitland, Shelburne's economic development officer.

“We need something in the community that gives some options besides the normal recreation,” said Len Guchardi, council's representative on the Business Improvement Association (BIA).

“We're really happy that Legaci VR Verse has chosen Shelburne as a home and, hopefully, they'll have a very successful business venture that activates the downtown.”

A significant focus for the Pennant family in launching the virtual reality arcade was to create a safe space for youth in the community to come together and socialize while enjoying their hobbies. 

Damon Ealey, principal of Centre Dufferin District High School (CDDHS), was in attendance for the grand opening and spoke about what it means to have such a space.

“One of the problems in any growing community is that you need more safe places where people can hang out and it's important that kids have a social place to connect,” said Ealey. “Oftentimes, we kind of push away from video games and online forums, but it's great to have an environment where're you can meet in the community and do these activities in-person together.”

Legaci VR Verse is located at 155 Main Street and is open Tuesday to Sunday. To learn more about Shelburne's first virtual reality arcade, visit www.legacivr.ca.