A video game created in Quebec, set in a fictional version of the American Deep South named South of Midnight, clinched the top honor at the recent Canadian Game Awards. This win highlighted a significant issue within Canada’s gaming sector.
Canada stands as a powerhouse in the global gaming industry, employing numerous individuals in both large and small game development studios, and contributing $5.5 billion to the nation’s GDP, as reported by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada. Despite the plethora of games produced within the country, only a few distinctly feature Canadian settings.
This dilemma was evident at the awards ceremony, where none of the nominees for Game of the Year showcased Canadian locales. However, a video presentation acknowledged the role of Canadian developers in shaping the industry, emphasizing how Canada contributes to the gaming landscape by broadening the conversation and demonstrating that games can be diverse, human-centric, and quietly ambitious simultaneously.
“Canada plays a pivotal role in advancing gaming. Not by dominating the discussion, but by enriching it — showcasing that the art form can be expansive, empathetic, and subtly ambitious all at once,” declared the voice-over in the video, which showcased nominated games developed in Canada and featured sweeping Canadian vistas like Montreal, the Prairies, and B.C.
Some Canadian game developers argue that creating games with explicit Canadian themes can pose challenges in attracting investors. Conversely, others believe that leveraging the country’s landscapes, cities, and values can be an untapped creative advantage, particularly amid the existing cultural and economic tensions with the U.S.
“From our standpoint, the specific country, location, or region doesn’t matter. It simply means that we need to focus and ensure that we are thorough in our efforts,” stated Guillaume Provost, the head of Compulsion Games, the studio behind South of Midnight.
“If we only focused on the familiar, we would end up creating games about Canadian hockey in Montreal, for instance,” he remarked, before suggesting that such games should also be explored further.
There is now a gradual shift towards more independent studios developing games that explicitly reflect Canadian elements. However, creators interviewed by CBC News expressed differing opinions on the implications of showcasing Canadian pride in their work and whether closely tying a game to a specific place enhances its appeal or presents challenges in marketing.
Are games set in Canada ‘non-marketable’?
Adjacent to the awards event venue in downtown Toronto, the XP Gaming Summit witnessed game developers — predominantly from smaller indie studios — engaging in discussions with peers, publishers, and potential investors to secure funding for their projects.
Many games exhibited common gaming themes and genres like fantasy or science fiction, with some subtly including Canadian references. For example, Echo Generation 2, an adventure game with retro vibes reminiscent of Stranger Things, features a Canadian mother and a U.S.-born father residing in the fictional Mapletown.
Developers have previously disclosed to CBC News that situating a game in a distinctly Canadian setting, such as The Long Dark, a survival game set in the Canadian North, could encounter resistance from potential investors.
- <li