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A profile of the video game industry in the Canadian provinces

Author

Listed:
  • Rupert Allen
  • Jenny Watt

Abstract

Despite the involvement of the Canadian government in the video game industry, there is relatively little publicly available information about the types of firms populating this industry. This article provides new statistics on the video game industry across the Canadian provinces from 2013 to 2022, focusing on three main areas of interest. First, it examines changes in firm counts, revenue and jobs across several dimensions: ownership (Canadian- or foreign-owned), activity (design or publishing), size and geographic region. Second, it presents statistics on the percentage of women employees and the percentage of employee compensation paid to women over time. Third, it compares entry and exit rates for video game firms with entry and exit rates for all private employer firms in Canada. The article illuminates several changes to the video game industry over time, including a rapid increase in the number of small Canadian-owned firms, a shift away from video game publishing towards video game design, and an increasing proportion of women employees and employee compensation paid to women.

Suggested Citation

  • Rupert Allen & Jenny Watt, 2025. "A profile of the video game industry in the Canadian provinces," Economic and Social Reports 202500800001e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies and Modelling Branch.
    • Handle: RePEc:stc:stcp8e:202500800001e
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202500800001-eng
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Patrick Cohendet & David Grandadam & Chahira Mehouachi & Laurent Simon, 2018. "The local, the global and the industry common: the case of the video game industry," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(5), pages 1045-1068.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • M21 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Economics - - - Business Economics

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