SPECIAL REPORT: My day @ MIGS16

Opening Keynote : Gaming's Gold Rush with Adam Boyes Photos © Lena Ghio, 2016

On Monday, November 14, I spent the entire day exploring the dynamic world of gaming at Palais des Congrès for MIGS16  I started by going quickly through all the kiosks that had all the products and services associated with the industry of gaming. It was filled with people and dazzling with color.

I attended the Opening Keynote : Gaming's Gold Rush with Adam Boyes. This was one of my favorite moments of the day. Adam Boyes projected energy and humor as he compared what is happening in the gaming industry to the gold rush years between 1848 and 1855 where men sought wealth from mining land where gold had been found. The parallel is of course that not everybody became rich and many people who did, did not get rich from mining gold. In the gaming industry, not every game will produce wealth to its creator and many side businesses may become more profitable than the game, like marketing, selling the various products like models and cards, and so on.

What I loved most about the Adam Boyes presentation is that it reversed all our current mindset about how to achieve success: have a plan, be confident, be decisive. Instead, he said: NONE OF US REALLY KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING. I loved all of his quotes as they energized me to confront issues in my own life. We spend so much time trying to figure out the right thing to do that we don't do anything. Adam Boyes says: EVERYTHING YOU DO MAKES YOU BETTER. I got it!

Left: Frédéric Martin, CEO, with Marie-Hélène Boivin, Director of operations. Right: the BOKM headquarters. 

Then I was off to the launch of the new game Little Lords of Twillight from BKOM Studios. This is a beautiful story. Frédéric Martin is the CEO of the company and as his children were growing up he would tell them stories and they would play games together. As they grew older, they brought the characters to life with drawings and naming the characters. Now the children are older but Frédéric Martin was inspired to revisit the world he and his children had enjoyed. The result is a game that is a combination of turned-based strategy mechanics, card collectibles of the tactical genre. The game is about fun and easy to learn tactics. It is completely free to play and puts two players in competition. As you play, you develop your skills.

Little Lords of Twilight Streaming live

There was so much to experience. I enjoyed several games in Virtual Reality like a ride in the Virtual Reality game FATED by Frima Studio. I played the game with Oculus Gear that is light and comfortable. It is a beautiful immersive experience with magical characters.There was so much to see!

People are offering all types of business opportunities for those who have great ideas. The Canada Media Fund was on site because it has a program to assist game developers, FACTOR Canada who supports the music industry was also present to offer funding. If you are looking for a career, this is one industry that is seeking people: HIBERNUM is one such company situated in Downtown Montreal: SQUEEZE STUDIOS is recruiting in Quebec City: if you are looking to market an existing project check out TAKEOFF creative who offer many services to promote your project: and there is so much more!

Right: Lumberyard Amazon offers a free AAA game engine to get you started in creating your own game / Center Right: a demonstration of motion capture by Vicon./ Center Left: The INDY section where more than 40 independent creators shared their games! / Last image: a man totally immersed in the game FATED by Frima Studio. Photos © Lena Ghio, 2016 

I also enjoyed two master classes, one with Mateusz Lenart about the artistic direction for Layers of Fear game. He took us step by step through the creation process of a coherent product. The other was How to make a game in a day by Fernando Serboncini who is currently working in Montreal developing games for Google no less! By 4:00 pm day was filled. There was one last thing on my agenda, the Opening VIP cocktail on top of Place Ville Marie, Au Sommet!

Quite a wonderful day! Hope you will join the gang next year!

-LENA GHIO

Finally, I joined the business leaders on top of Place Ville Marie for the VIP cocktail under the Full Moon. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S Photos © Lena Ghio, 2016