Ever since he held his first video game, Mike Katchabaw wanted to take it apart. Like separating pieces of a puzzle, he found out what made his favourite games tick and how to put them back together again.
Now a professor in the Department of Computer Science, Katchabaw is still picking apart video games through his research. His love of the industry is evident in his office in the basement of Middlesex College, where he is surrounded by miniature replicas and retro video game systems, and a collection of figurines that includes Mario and Spy Vs. Spy.
Mike Katchabaw
Katchabaw is among the big names in Canada’s gaming world converging in London for the Digital Interactive Gaming (DIG) London Conference 2009 Nov. 3-4 at the London Convention Centre.
This is the second year for the conference and Katchabaw says it provides an opportunity for leading video game programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals and business owners to share information and learn about what is new in the industry.
He is participating in a panel discussion on how to prepare high school students for a career in the industry.
It was during his teen years that Katchabaw developed his first video game, which involved shooting asteroids in space.
“I’ve always been interested since I was a kid because when I was little was when video games first started coming out into arcades. It was fascinating that you could interact with something on your TV or on a screen,” he says.
When his family bought a home computer, he began writing and building his own games.
Although it has been around for several decades, the video game industry wasn’t seen as a big player in the entertainment world until recently.
“That was the way the games industry was viewed across the board, that games aren’t a form of mainstream entertainment. They are for adolescents. That’s why we weren’t teaching them in universities or colleges because there wasn’t that respect for things,” he says.
But times have changed – and so has the video game industry.
Most households have a personal computer and Internet access, prompting the surge of online gaming and increasing for better graphics and technology. Also, interactive games, such as the Nintendo Wii, offer more than just entertainment – they promote fitness and healthy lifestyles.
A recent study shows Canada is the world’s third largest centre for video game development talent, behind Japan and the United States. Canada has approximately 250 game development companies, which generated $2.2 billion in revenues in 2008.
“Now the landscape is very different these days. A lot of universities and colleges have programs in various different ways looking at game development and game studies. Gaming as a medium and as an entertainment platform is as popular as movies and television shows.”
Similar to the crowds at movie theatres or ticket booths for concerts, people will line up outside stores to purchase the latest video game, he notes.
The incorporation of video games into the academic curriculum has created a creative outlet for students interested in the industry.
“Being a game developer has kind-of been the ‘rock star’ of computer science jobs. A lot of people got interested in computer science and computer gaming because of video games. They played games and they wondered ‘how can I do this?'”
At Western, courses on video games and game programming remain popular amongst students. Research in various faculties across campus also offers a different perspective on the industry.
Drawing on the talent pool at Western and Fanshawe College, London has become a hub of Ontario’s video game industry, says Katchabaw. The city is home to world renowned game development and outsourcing studios, as well as local academics researching the industry.
“We have three large video game developers in town,” he says. “In London, there’s a good sense of community amongst the different developers.
“It allows us to do joint projects, put on things like DIG London – something driven by the industry for the industry.”
Among the many conference speakers are: Randy Van Der Vlag, Lead Artist, Big Blue Bubble; Yannis Mallat, CEO, Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto; James Schmalz, President and Founder, Digital Extremes and Victor Lucas, Electric Playground.
Anyone can register for the conference. Check out the website for registration and speaker information at conf.diglondon.ca.