Whether you realize it or not, many of the video games that you play in your phones or game consoles come — in one way or another — from Montreal.
“We have Ubisoft here, we have Gameloft here — we have other big studios in the area — and so what that does is it draws in a lot of talent,” Socrates Sotos, the co-founder of indie game company Business Corp. Incorporated, said on Monday.
“Montreal is almost like the Hollywood of indie games.”
It’s why the city is a natural fit to host the biggest video game event in North America: the Montreal International Game Summit.
The summit is an event where hundreds of experts from around the world talk about their craft and share knowledge, the latest technologies and best practices in the video game industry.
Visitors can stop by the more than 70 booths showcasing video games, virtual reality experiences and the latest in sound technology.
They can also attend the different conferences on site and meet the people behind their favourite games.
“The importance of it is that it brings the community together,” the lead character artist at Insomniac Games, Gavin Goulden, told Global News.
Goulden was one of the speakers at the event. He is part of the team that developed the Spider-Man character for the video game.
Watch below: The lead character developer for the Spider-Man video game, Gavin Goulden, reacts to the passing of the father of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, whom he got to meet.
“For us, it’s a great way to meet people and to make contacts in the industry,” Sotos said.
For Thalia-Ann Côté-Ortiz, a Beenox recruiter, it’s a great way to meet talent.
“It’s really important because we can get human contact with people and just to feel if it’s a good fit with us,” Côté-Ortiz said.
The two-day event takes place at the Palais des congrès and wraps up on Tuesday. For more details, visit the summit’s website.