GamePlan helps Canadian game developers score big

Prince Edward Island's GamePlan -- an economic development strategy targeted at the island's gaming industry -- is helping local game developers score big in this little Canadian island some 650 miles north east of Boston.

Launched by the PEI government, GamePlan offers a combination of tax and labour credits for businesses and ties with local schools.

The program has slowly but surely made headway in developing the fledgling computer game industry of the Maritime Province's region more known for its potato crops and dramatic ocean-side sceneries.
GamePlan might also stem the tide of young talent migrating away from the island, according to local business owners.

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Prince Edward Island's GamePlan -- an economic development strategy targeted at the island's gaming industry -- is helping local game developers score big in this little Canadian island some 650 miles north east of Boston.

Launched by the PEI government, GamePlan offers a combination of tax and labour credits for businesses and ties with local schools.

The program has slowly but surely made headway in developing the fledgling computer game industry of the Maritime Province's region more known for its potato crops and dramatic ocean-side sceneries.
GamePlan might also stem the tide of young talent migrating away from the island, according to local business owners.

At a time when Canada's digital media industry is strapped for funds, PEI's gaming sector is flourishing.

"Gaming industry sales are up despite the economic downturn, companies are interested in Atlantic Canada, and we're attracting many young people," said Deirdre Ayre, studio head for Other Ocean Interactive .

The Charlottetown-based company owned by her brother Andrew, created the hit Super Monkey Ball game for the iPhone, and is also the company behind Ultimate Mortal Kombat for Nintendo DS and Ten Pin Alley 2 for Wii.

Other Ocean's newest educational game scheduled for release next month is Puffins: Adventure Island for Nintendo DS and has a definite Atlantic Canadian flavour.

For starters, the Puffin is the official bird of Newfoundland and Labrador; the original score has been composed by Alan Doyle of the Newfoundland band Great Big Sea, and artwork is based on the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve in Newfoundland.

Ayre commended the keen attention those spearheading GamePlan have placed on local culture and economic realities. That emphasis, she said, is a key reason for the development strategy's success.

"The planners really did their homework by studying the engineering culture in Atlantic Canada and focusing on the need to retain talent here," said Ayre.

When GamePlan launched in 2003, its stated goal was to create 500 new jobs in the game sector within five years. Today, PEI has four development studios and one testing facility.

About 150 people are employed in PEI's gaming industry.

That's a fairly big number "considering PEI probably has a population of around 130, 000," said Ayre.

Other computer game developers on the island include Telos Production Inc., makers of the games Shadow of the Panopticon and City of Sinners and Saints; Longtail Studios; BightGames, a mobile game developer; and Sculpin QA, a video game testing and quality assurance studio.

Getting good video game programmers is very hard, according to David LeBlanc, chief of the computer science and information technology at the University Of Prince Edward Island (UPEI).

"The IT industry here is small compared to large centres, but quite significant for our size," he said.

The three main thrusts of the industry are traditional IT, IT support, and video game development and testing," LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc, who developed the four-year Specialization in Video Game Programming course for the university, said interest is high and expects steady enrolment.