This dissertation’s purpose was to view the video game industry here in Canada through the economic geography viewpoint and determine how this mobile industry fits in with the traditional literature, and how it interacts within those parameters. With the extensive discussion in the previous sections, there is a synthesis of the main points.
First, there is clustering of the video game industry here in Canada with the main locations of the highest concentrations are in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. This is not surprising and is expected based off the concept of urban hierarchy. What is interesting are the outlying regions where there is clustering. These regions are mostly on the East Coast of Canada. There is a majority of small independent companies that focus on app development or PC games, and some of these are subsidiaries of larger AAA studios such as EA and Ubisoft.
The second finding is the unique characteristic of the Canadian video game industry as a branch economy. While there are numerous studios in Canada, a large majority of them are independent and Canadian owned and operated, the more pronounced studios in Canada are in fact foreign AAA studios and publishers. Analysis determined that at this time and due to the healthy economy, branch economy syndrome will not harm the overall Canadian video game industry. However, it does have an implication for the identity of the industry here in Canada. The face of the Canadian industry in terms of games is primarily these AAA foreign studios. While there are local studios that have found great success such as BioWare with the Mass Effect trilogy, and StudioMDHR with Cuphead, there is still the overwhelming and consistent presence of large studios such as Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Electronic Arts that have become a dominant force in Canada. This is mostly due to the tax incentive programs, quality education, and positive standard of living that is offered here that draws all sizes of studios.
The third point is the social elements that seem to set Canada apart and offer a unique work landscape. The overall acceptance and ability to become a video game developer is an opportunity that is offered here, in conjunction with the funding programs that allow for start-ups to have aid through their first few years. More important is the development of networks that are present at varying levels of the video game industry. As the scale or size of a studio decreases,
there is an increase in the likelihood of casual interaction. The instance of networking and knowledge spillover is palpable, and future research is required.
The fourth point is about labour and innovation. The largest difference when it comes to the video game industry and other traditional industries, is the very heavy emphasis on the
importance of the worker. As the industry becomes increasingly grounded in the virtual, it is here where the innovation of employees to utilize technologies to create a unique product allows studios to stand apart from the competition. As well, the video game industry has become a strongly mobile industry where the only definitive factor that can ground a studio to a given location is labour, aside from internet access. This in turn creates an industry that is heavily saturated in the social elements of a decision-making process when compared to that of economic decisions.
Growth and expansion are at the forefront when it comes to success. The increase of profits and presence is something that can be viewed over time when examining an industry, and the video game industry is no different. Referring back to the quantitative results, there was an observable growth over time and discernible clustering in given areas. This growth has been a positive in terms of Canada’s standing on the international stage of electronic entertainment. Being the third largest producer of video games is no small feat, but does Canada have the ability to move itself to higher standings? How can the continued success be monitored? To fully
answer these questions there must be moment of stepping back where there is a consideration of what Canada currently represents for video game developers, and by extension what Canada represents as a gaming nation.
The first consideration has been covered extensively throughout this dissertation, but to quickly reiterate: Canada offers a haven for those wanting to develop video games and is
especially attractive for foreign and local studios because of the financial support offered in the country. Canada is a nation where becoming a video game developer or being a part of a studio is a viable option for an income and by extension, lifestyle. While this is no different from the United States, it was the noted culture of accepting and welcoming of developers in Canada. What does this all mean? In brief, Canada has set itself up for positive growth, if only based on the numbers provided by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada.
There is a better measurement that needs to be considered in terms of longevity and sustainability of the Canadian video game industry, and that is the life span of firms and
percentage of financial support received after the initial launch period, the life cycle and working environment of the video game industry. It is a hit-based industry where from day one a studio is not competing with local firms but an entire international industry. Therefore, for positive
growth there needs to be an assurance that firms establishing themselves are able to support themselves after a five-year period or after first launch of a flagship project. Additional research should be conducted regarding the life expectancy of video game studios here in Canada, and such data should be used to further bolster the attraction of the industry, as well as to understand the short comings. The Canadian video game industry is poised to become a great nation for developers with the support of the consumer ever present here in Canada and on the international level. The video game industry is here to stay. Yet the question remains as to whether or not it can flourish and rival in power to that of its American counterpart.
To conclude, let the original questions for this dissertation be answered. Does the Canadian video game industry fit into the economic geography paradigm? Yet, this can be viewed through the dispersions of the industry falling into urban hierarchy, stemming from the understanding of attractive location factors. These being the diverse labour pools; seemingly
endless access to markets via the internet which is enable due to the healthy infrastructure that the major trade cities offer; and coupled with high standard of livings. The next question was the on the outcome of this dissertation’s perspective on the industry in Canada. This is answered though the observation of the fruitful working landscape, yet this has resulted in a branch economy which is the real finding on a macro level. With all the power and influence coming from foreign firms via their branch studios in Canada, the harm will not be in terms of
production or revenue, but in fact in the struggle for the Canadian identity is in its own video game industry. The final question posed at the beginning of this dissertation, was what is the best perspective to utilize when examining the Canadian video game industry? The neoclassical conceptual perspective that was present in this dissertation was ideal at unveiling factors that interviews deemed important for location; albeit ones that were not economic but more social ones. As the earlier synthesis points out, this perspective is optimum when examining why to locate at a given spot, yet for understanding the growth of the Canadian video game industry a more social or network perspective must be used.