16 BCBusiness JANUARY 2015
W
y
B . C .' s n e w s a n d v i e w s
f r o m i n d u s t r y s e C t o r s
01/15
1 9 H u m a n r e s o u r C e s
Meet Cameron Laker, CEO
of Canada's only recruiting
firm for hourly workers
front
lınes
m e d i a
L
ike many in his field, Jamie Cheng, owner of Klei
Entertainment—a small Gastown-based mobile gaming
studio—views the local video-game sector as an
ecosystem of stable, high-paying jobs. B.C.'s 67 video-
game studios have an average lifespan of nine years,
according to the Digital Media and Wireless Association of
B.C. (DigiBC), while average annual salaries for the industry's
roughly 5,000 workers top $80,000. Institutions such as the
Centre for Digital Media and the Vancouver Film School churn
out graduates by the hundreds—many of whom go on to work
for giants such as Electronic Arts (EA) or, like Cheng himself,
found small studios of their own.
While the ecosystem is stable, it remains fragile—and
heavily dependent on government support for its survival.
B.C.'s Digital Media Tax Credit is one program credited for
maintaining a vibrant local scene. The 17.5 per cent rebate
on salaries of game designers and developers was introduced
in 2010, and many say it has helped save thousands of jobs
over the past five years in what has become a ruthlessly
Staying in
the Game
B.C.'s video-game industry, while not
booming, is in a relatively stable position.
That all could change if a critical tax credit
disappears in next month's budget
by Jacob Parry
PAUL JOSEPH
y
01/15
1 9 H u m a n r e s o u r
Meet Cameron Laker,
of Canada's only recruiting
firm for hourly workers
