First Encounters is a unique media learning experience consisting of a rich online game, an extensive video and music gallery, and detailed teacher’s guides.  The game and website are the culmination of over a year's worth of research and development providing an in-depth look at life in North America when Europeans began arriving from across the Atlantic. Carleton University's Centre for Indigenous Research, Culture, Language and Education (CIRCLE), in partnership with Heritage Canada, Canadian Content Online Program, commissioned the First Encounters project to retell the story of first contact between the Norse and the Thule circa 1000 C.E., and the French and the Mi'kmaq in the 1500's.



My role in creating this game was initially prototyping and code development.  As the project progressed I focused more on the learning modules for all of the cultures and their influence on the overall game-play.  I helped to develop the bilingual features and integrated a large portion of the interface and 3D assets for the game.