Ontario Gov't giving huge funding to Video Game industry

[Masato]

Hey all, interesting interview here from a London-ON based game developer who is getting rich by taking advantage of massive government subsidies/tax breaks/funding policies.

http://canadalandshow.com/podcast/video-game-welfare



Cliff notes:

Government will offer 40% of a company's labour, marketing and distribution costs for ANYONE who is creating (get this definition): 'Interactive Digital Media'.


That term is so broad that apparently lots of companies are taking advantage of it to make simple shit like websites etc... and they estimate it is costing over $100 Million per year dishing out money to all those who apply.

Some are using it to make facebook games and apps. The person interviewed in the link is 1 such person.

He says some programs, if you tweak it right, will get OVER 50 cents to the dollar for expenses to create apps/facebook games.

He defends it by saying it is a huge and growing industry, and the subsidies are creating lots of jobs/opportunities and money into the Ontario economy.

But, as the government also funds canadian film and television for the purpose of encouraging CULTURE, are video games really healthy for the country on a cultural level?



One interesting point; dude says 'Clash of Clans' was made by only 12 people, and now generates anywhere from $2-5 Million PER DAY. They never even had a big company to start with, they came out of nowhere

WTF

[Edge Guerrero]

Hey all, interesting interview here from a London-ON based game developer who is getting rich by taking advantage of massive government subsidies/tax breaks/funding policies.

http://canadalandshow.com/podcast/video-game-welfare



Cliff notes:

Government will offer 40% of a company's labour, marketing and distribution costs for ANYONE who is creating (get this definition): 'Interactive Digital Media'.


That term is so broad that apparently lots of companies are taking advantage of it to make simple shit like websites etc... and they estimate it is costing over $100 Million per year dishing out money to all those who apply.

Some are using it to make facebook games and apps. The person interviewed in the link is 1 such person.

He says some programs, if you tweak it right, will get OVER 50 cents to the dollar for expenses to create apps/facebook games.

He defends it by saying it is a huge and growing industry, and the subsidies are creating lots of jobs/opportunities and money into the Ontario economy.

But, as the government also funds canadian film and television for the purpose of encouraging CULTURE, are video games really healthy for the country on a cultural level?

- I think that video-game industry is taking the place that used to be of the movie industry and was the place of the teather industry before the movies come along

One interesting point; dude says 'Clash of Clans' was made by only 12 people, and now generates anywhere from $2-5 Million PER DAY. They never even had a big company to start with, they came out of nowhere

WTF

[Luigi]

Is Silicone Knights still around? They were the one ON company worth a damn.