Group hopes to launch network of video game co-operatives in Atlantic Canada

File photo. (Rawpixel / Pexels)

Two months after video game company Ubisoft closed its Halifax studio, a new group is hoping to establish a network of video game worker co-operatives in Atlantic Canada.

Kai McGilligan Oliver, a freelance game designer, is the co-organizer for Game Makers 4 Co-operative Futures (GM4CF). Originally from the United Kingdom, he moved to Nova Scotia and says he got into co-operatives as a model to address social issues.

“It took me a while to put the name together,” he said. “We use the number four because we’re the four provinces in the Atlantic region. That’s our ambition.

“Co-operative Futures comes from this idea that the video game industry is not necessarily serving its workers. It’s certainly serving its investors. Our group aims to bring people into awareness about co-operatives, which focus on giving a voice to every single member of the organization. That’s where it can come in and make a difference.”

McGilligan Oliver noted many large video game companies have closed the doors of their studios in recent years. Last January, Ubisoft Halifax was shut down a few weeks after 61 of its 71 employees voted to join a union.

Ubisoft — a Paris-based company known for big video game franchises like Assassin’s Creed — previously said it was closing the studio as part of a larger two-year process to “streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.”

They also noted that none of the employees at the Halifax studio would be moved to other teams.

McGilligan Oliver said co-operatives could be an alternative to the typical video game studio business model.

“Co-ops invite democratic discourse,” he said. “No two co-ops are the same. There’s an opportunity for one co-op to go down a different purpose but be connected by the values co-ops share.

“The Atlantic provinces don’t have as much support for video games. Part of it is for me to raise a flag that there’s people interested in this. Doing game dev differently, that’s like our tagline.”

McGilligan Oliver said the goal for GM4CF is to provide resources for people looking to start co-operatives and to host networking events. One resource he cites as helpful is “If You Don’t Like the Game, Change the Rules,” which is a white paper and comic that lays out the process of launching a co-operative.

“My dream would be to have a co-op in every province that’s specifically focused on video games,” he said. “Co-operatives don’t exist in a vacuum. What you need is a network of co-operatives and increase that resilience.”

On March 6, the group held a fundraiser rave at Radstorm in Halifax and raised $900 for video game co-operative development.

“We’re seeing interest from across the board, from managers and workers,” McGilligan Oliver said. “We’re trying to make sure we’re building the capacity for jobs for students coming out of NSCC and Dalhousie.

“Students came down in three carpools from NSCC for the fundraising event. They feel like there’s some action happening. They want to meet the other game devs. We’re seeing this interesting intermingling of students and studios.”

McGilligan Oliver noted not everyone could be in a financial position to start a co-operative, but he’s hoping to spark a conversation and interest in the video game community.

“I started this because I saw there was a gap and a need, and suddenly it was given rocket fuel because of the Ubisoft closure,” he said. “We already have the community that’s curious. We want to get people together.

“A lot of people, I hope, will see the benefit of the co-op model.”