Canada has the third largest video game industry in terms of employment numbers following the USA and Japan, with 20,400 employees, 472 companies, and a direct annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion added to Canada's GDP in 2015. Video game development is beginning to rival the film and television production industry as a major contributor to the economy.
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History
Canada has become a major leader in the emerging video game industry. Evolution and BC's Quest for Tires, both released in 1983, were the first video games developed in Canada that gained substantial commercial success. Chris Gray and Peter Liepa, from Toronto and Ottawa respectively, together created Boulder Dash in 1983 which was later acquired and published by First Star Software. In the past decade more companies have been moving from the West coast East, to Ontario and Quebec where there is more government support for studios and the cost of living is lower.
Training
Many Canadian post secondary institutions offer industry relevant courses in areas such as computer programming, animation/concept art, and game design. Many of the top programs are offered in either Vancouver, British Columbia or Toronto, Ontario and the greater Toronto area. Industry employees earn an average of $72,500 annually and the average age of an employee in this industry is 31 years old. According to the Entertainment Software Association of Canada in their 2015 report the skills that are most lacking in current recruitment pools are programming, art and animation, game design and data analysis. It is anticipated that approximately 1,377 new jobs will be filled in the next 12–24 months, with approximately 40% being intermediate or senior level creative positions and approximately 60% being intermediate or senior level technical jobs.
Major provinces
80% of all Canadian game studios are located in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario. Quebec is the largest producer of video games in Canada, housing 29.4% of all game studios (14 of which are large companies) and has annual expenditures of $1.14 billion. Vancouver is the second largest, with 27.1% of companies residing in the province (4 of which are large companies) and spends $576 million annually. The third largest video game producer is Ontario, which has 22.9% of all game studios (3 of which are large companies) and has annual expenditures of $264 million.
Major studios
Canada is home to some of the biggest studios in the industry. Edmonton, Alberta hosts BioWare and Prince Edward Island is home to Other Ocean Interactive. EA Canada, located in Burnaby, British Columbia, is a major contributor to the industry with popular, global franchises such as FIFA and Need for Speed and has 4 other studios in Canada (Charlottetown, Edmonton, Kitchener and Montreal). Rockstar Vancouver is a sizeable contributor to the Vancouver gaming scene, as well as another Rockstar studio in Toronto. Montreal's Ubisoft studio is getting a large amount of attention worldwide as the lead studio for the Far Cry series and for their contributions to the Assassin's Creed franchise. As a major studio they are attracting other video game developers and studios to Montreal further defining it as the gaming capital of Canada, as well as the other major game studio, Warner Brothers Interactive. Ubisoft Toronto is also a large contributor to the global success of the Far Cry franchises as well as Splinter Cell Blacklist.
As of 2015, the entertainment software industry is growing at unprecedented rates and shows no signs of slowing down. More opportunities are being created to learn the skills relevant to the industry and as more job opportunities are being created allowing this industry to experience a healthy boom. Many strong game development studios choosing to locate to Canada help to not only strengthen the industry but promote its longevity. Large scale gaming events such as the Canadian Videogame Awards, Fan Expo Canada and ComiCon help to promote the industry and encourage its growth.
Demographics
In 2015, approximately 19 million Canadians identified as gamers (54% of the Canadian population). The average age of the Canadian gamer was 33 years. By gender, 52% were male and 48% were female. Console game revenue fell 32% from 2013 to 2015 but still accounts for 35% of the overall revenue. Mobile games saw an increase of 20% from 2013 to 2015 and account for 31% of total revenue earned. Computer game sales fell marginally (3%) and compose 25% of the revenue. The most popular game genres in Canada are, in order of popularity, action-adventures, family games, and shooters.
Canadian video game research
There has recently been a substantial amount of interest in the emergence of video game development as an industry in Canada and its impact on the economy, the creative industries, the role studios play in specific city ecosystems and how video games affect physically and mentally. A recent study was done at McMaster University studying how playing video games improves the eyesight of those who suffer from vision problems. Montreal, Quebec is a particularly popular subject of study due to the maturity of the gaming industry and its overall urban ecology.