Ontario’s video game talent on display in game contest

In the end, it was a one-in-seven chance that hopefuls in Telefilm Canada’s Great Canadian Video Game Competition would make the first cut. Now, 10 of the 69 applicants will each get $50,000 for their hard work, as well as a chance to compete for the grand prize of up to $2 million in total financing.While the first-round finalists can be categorized numerous ways – such as by platform (three console games, two handheld, two wireless, one PC, one online, and one for PC/mobile/Xbox Live) or by category (trivia, adventure, dating and mystery) – perhaps the most interesting subset is their geographic mix: two from British Columbia, two from Quebec, one from Nova Scotia and five from Ontario (see chart below for more details).But it’s not necessarily surprising, according to the head of Ontario’s new media industry association. "I think we often get the reputation that Toronto is strong for the broadcast-centric , where Montreal and Vancouver are of the games industry," says Ian Kelso, president of Ontario’s New Media Business Alliance (NMBA), an organization to which three of the finalists – London’s Big Blue Bubble, and Toronto’s Hop To It Productions Inc. and Murmur Inc. – belong. "We’ve got some very good independent console game companies here, and right through from PC to casual games, multi-player online games – there’s quite a broad ecosystem here."Kelso speculates that while Montreal and Vancouver are home to the more established game studios like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts, Ontario could have higher numbers in terms of independent game companies, which the contest was limited to. Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association and an advisor to Telefilm during the creation of the contest, also thinks there could be smaller – but more numerous – studios in Ontario, but like Kelso he doesn’t have any hard data to support the theory.Of course, in the end the contest is about picking the games that have the best chance to succeed in the marketplace. When the contest was launched at the Montreal International Game Summit in November, Danielle Michael, former VP of business development at Vancouver’s Radical Entertainment Inc. who also consulted Telefilm on the competition, made it clear that there was no regional quota to be filled in picking the finalists (CNM, Nov. 15/06).Michael also said that distinctively Canadian game play was not a requirement in the contest, noting, "We don’t need beavers and Mounties here." And while none of the finalists went as far as making a game about the Bluenose, a console game based on the popular Canadian TV show The Trailer Park Boys – submitted by Nova Scotia’s HB Studios and TPB Productions – did make the top 10."All of the games look pretty interesting," says Della Rocca. "There’s a nice mix in terms of platforms and style." As for the geographic dynamic of Canada’s video game industry, Della Rocca feels the status quo is intact, and that Montreal, Vancouver and – to a lesser extent – Toronto don’t have to worry about losing their titles as game development capitals anytime soon. "If I’m a young up-and-comer and want to work on the next Rainbow Six game, I’ll be eyeing Ubisoft," he says. "If you have your own vision for a game or independent company, you don’t have to go to the city with the biggest job ads. Independent developers are very transient; it really doesn’t matter where they live and work."NMBA, however, would like to foster video game talent in Ontario as much as possible; indeed, the group forged closer ties with the Game Developers Association of Ontario last fall (CNM, Sept. 7/06). Kelso says Ontario’s tax credit program for game developers is more competitive with Quebec’s now, and the results of the game contest thus far further illustrate the level of talent in Ontario. But he admits that Montreal and Vancouver will always be a big draw for developers."In the end it comes down to a decision that some people really want to go and work on the big titles, and it’s like going to Hollywood," Kelso says. "But I think there’s a lot of folks who really like to do their own thing and have control and that’s something you don’t have in a big studio, so if you’ve got that entrepreneurial spirit, I think shows that there are a lot of success models in Ontario and there are tons of opportunities." The Great Canadian Video Game Competition finalistsCompanyLocationGame TitlePlatformBig Blue BubbleLondon ONHobby ShopconsoleCerebral Vortex GamesSt. Catherines ONAmbush! TriviaPC/Mobile/XboxDark Matter EntertainmentToronto ONVertical AscentconsoleHB Studios/ TBP ProductionsLunenburg NSTrailer Park BoyconsoleHop To It Productions Inc.Toronto ONCreate-a-dateonlineHothead Games Inc.Vancouver BCSwarm!PCHumagade Ltd.Quebec QCTamanohandheldLiveWires Designs Ltd.Vancouver BCRecklesswirelessMindHabits Inc.Montreal QCMindHabits TrainerhandheldMurmur Inc.Toronto ONEchelonwireless

Ontario’s video game talent on display in game contest

Broadcast | January 24, 2007

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