At SplitMango we all are big fans of today’s video games. Having grown up playing games on a Commodore 64 I appreciate the design and development that goes into today’s games. Compared to the 1980s games, graphically rich backgrounds and amazing production are standard these days.
Video game design and development has had to evolve in much the same ways as web design and development as mobile devices have changed the rules and focus of business. Just as users use their iPhones and smart devices to surf the web, mobile gaming has gotten more and more common, and has turned into a major source of revenue.
The video game industry is huge these days, with some new releases earning more money than some Hollywood movies. Vancouver has a rich heritage in video game design and development and it now includes about 75 companies companies provide support services for game development, including animation and audio production. A 2009 Georgia Straight article put the number of people working in the video-game industry in the Lower Mainland at approximately 3,500. Several of the biggest games companies in the world have bases here including EA, Radical, Ubisoft and Rockstar, and their are lots of smaller companies in operation here too. Unfortunately there have been lay-offs in the industry here in Vancouver in the last year or so, but the industry is still strong in this city.
For game industry professionals, students of game design, and everyone passionate about games, Vancouver Film School’s Game Design program hosts the fifth annual Game Design Expo in Vancouver, on January 22 and 23, 2011. Click here to read more about the Game Design Expo in Vancouver. This should be a opportunity to see what kind of design and development projects are in the works. The Industry Speaker Day at the Game Design Expo will be an entire day of talks with some of the leading minds in game design and development: the makers of games like Angry Birds (huge on the iPhone), World of Warcraft, and many more. If you have any interest in video games, then check it out. Tickets are on sale now.
Click here to read more about the history of the video game industry in Vancouver.
