What happened: New report finds B.C.’s video game sector growing significantly when measured by headcount
Why it matters: The province, however, is lagging behind all other regions in terms of representation of women in the gaming industry
The demand for talent in B.C.’s gaming industry ratcheted up over the past two years as the province added 1,400 workers from 2017-19 for a current total of 7,300, according to a new report commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC).
But B.C.’s performance in terms of including women in the video game sector was the worst in Canada, with just 14% of the West Coast workforce indentifying as female as of 2019.
The ESAC report, conducted by research firm NGL Nordicity Group Limited, found Ontario had the largest proportion of women working in the gaming sector at 26%.
The national average was 19% — up from 16% two years ago.
B.C. also has the oldest workforce in the gaming industry with an average age of 36 years old compared with the national average of 31 years old.
Despite the overall growth in the number of employees working in B.C.’s gaming industry, the West Coast posted notable declines in the number of companies operating here.
The province had 139 companies operating within it borders in 2017, the last time ESAC commissioned such a report.
That fell 16.5% to 116 companies as of 2019.
Last year saw the notable closures of Bandai Namco Studios Vancouver Inc. and Capcom Game Studio Vancouver Inc., which left more than 150 workers out of a job.
The report found the number of micro companies — those with fewer than five employees — declined 5%, while standard companies (five to 99 employees) declined 34% and the number of large companies (100-plus employees) increased 184%.
B.C. is the only province in Canada to experience a decline in the number of companies operating within it since 2017.
“British Columbia appears to be unique in that it has a greater number of standard companies than micro ones, which may reflect the relative maturity of the smaller companies in that province,” the report stated.
At least two large companies in Vancouver have been expanding in the city, with Relic Entertainment Inc. officially opening its new three-storey, 43,000-square-foot office in Mount Pleasant earlier this month for its 250 employees.
And last year Kabam Inc. announced it would lease 105,000 square feet of office space across seven storeys at the under-construction Vancouver Centre 2 tower on Seymour Street.
Kabam CEO Tim Fields told Business in Vancouver in January he anticipates the company’s 200-person headcount doubling over the next few years, while Relic chief operating officer Heidi Eaves said there is room to hold as many as 330 workers in the new office.
The ESAC report found that expenditures in the gaming industry totalled $3.18 billion across Canada with B.C. accounting for 26% ($826 million).
That’s the highest dollar figure among all the provinces after Quebec, which accounted for 47% ($1.49 billion) of all expenditures.
