Are Banks and Governments Ready to Help Games Industry Level Up?
For years, both provincial and municipal governments in Ontario have been inexplicably slow to recognize the impact digital interactive media has had on the economy and the impact it will continue to have on the economic future of Ontario. Could an investment forum like GameOn Finance 2009–held in Toronto, Ontario this past October–change that?
The Ant Firm had the pleasure of attending this event: held in the Art Deco/streamlined Moderne grandeur of Bay Street’s Design Exchange–formerly the Toronto Stock Exchange–it is the must-attend event for games industry types in Ontario. Facilitated by Interactive Ontario–a non-profit trade organization whose mandate is to help stimulate the growth of the digital media industry in Ontario–the purpose of the forum is to promote home-grown talent and to connect creators of digital media with various levels of government.
In attendance were banking representatives, investors, and game developers, all coming together to explore funding strategies for this ever-growing, ever-changing industry. All manner of financing was discussed including the roles of venture capitalists and angel investors, project financing, and public and private equity options, from the perspectives of both investors and investees.
The Ants were delighted by the networking opportunities presented at the conference and greatly appreciate the candour and insight provided by industry leaders into the world of video game creation, financing, and investment.
Special thanks to Interactive Ontario President Ian Kelso and his industrious team for putting on a great show, and to all the keynote speakers and panelists, particularly Jim (“I respectfully disagree”) Laird of Bedlam Games, Justin (“the Cheese Stands Alone”) Hall of Gamelayers, Jon Mak of Queasy Games, and Jason Della Rocca of Perimeter Partners, not only for their pithy anecdotes about the industry, but for injecting some hilarity into the proceedings. A great time was had by all!
Related articles by Zemanta
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=731072fe-09dc-425d-a9c4-94f91d43a026)