ESAC Presents: “Beyond Entertainment: How Video Games Are Driving Innovation”
The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development delivers remarks at ESAC’s Beyond Entertainment conference last October.
The video game industry has not only revolutionized entertainment but is also playing a central role in the development and commercialization of innovative technology. On October 23, 2017, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) held a 1-day conference and showcase in Ottawa to demonstrate how a fast-growing entertainment sector is now driving efficiency and revolutionizing sectors like healthcare, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and graphics. Over 100 industry and government officials were in attendance and the conference included a keynote address by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. Guests were able to experience cutting-edge innovation first-hand while presenters from leading tech companies provided a glimpse into the technology of tomorrow – all made possible from technologies first conceived for video games.
Experts from Epic Games, Finger Food Studios, Ubisoft, Nvidia, Digital Dimension, EA, UOIT, Games Institute, Silverback Games, Jintronix, Amblyotech, Pelesys Learning Systems, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre joined together to present and demonstrate the success of their products or practices.
ESAC also published an op-ed with further details on some of the innovations presented at the event. You can read it here: Your Next Car Might Just Be Designed By A Video Game
ESAC Launches its 2017 Essential Facts Research about the Canadian Video Game Industry
President & CEO Jayson Hilchie presenting the 2017 Essential Facts to the Vancouver industry last November.
On November 1, 2017, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) unveiled new research about the Canadian video game industry. Prepared for ESAC by Nordicity, the 2017 research highlights the economic status of the industry, including information pertaining to the industry’s GDP contribution, employment statistics, output, project resources, innovation data, revenue, and other related materials.
The Association launched its annual Essential Facts about the Canadian video game industry which features some of the key stats from the research and snapshots of the industry. Following the launch, ESAC launched a cross-country tour, stopping in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Halifax to discuss the results of the study. President & CEO Jayson Hilchie presented an outline of the 2017 research to most of the industry’s top companies through the course of three months, with an extended overview at the Montreal International Games Summit (MIGS) in December 2017.
With nearly 600 active video game companies in Canada generating 21,700 direct full-time jobs, the Canadian video game industry is contributing $3.7 billion to Canada’s GDP annually. Essential Facts 2017 is the principle vehicle to communicate key facts and economic research about Canada’s video game industry. It helps broaden the awareness of ESAC and its mandate and serves as a critical tool for advocacy and lobbying. Essential Facts is routinely cited by governments, in news articles, business networks, and other related industry research across the globe.
To read ESAC’s 2017 Essential Facts & full industry research, please visit: theesa.ca/resources/
For more information about the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, please contact:
Jayson Hilchie
President & CEO
jhilchie@theesa.ca
