Gaming is one of the most popular activities across the planet. Gaming can be split into various categories, but video games lead the way in terms of the number of participants. Video gaming involves playing games using a console, computer, or mobile device, and they can be played alone or with other people. iGaming is something different from video gaming, and we will come to that in more detail shortly.
Gaming Statistics for Canada
If we begin with the total number of people playing video games in Canada, the number is above 60% of the population. Looking specifically at the male adolescent population of Canada and it rises to 90%, which is staggering. This alone shows how big gaming is in Canada. Taking the electronics consumer market in Canada, as of 2021, it was worth $14 billion dollars, and 24% of that was made up of console gaming. The PlayStation accounts for the greatest share of the market in 2022, with Xbox being the second most popular gaming console in Canada. If we look at the contribution of video gaming in Canada to the GDP, it totaled $3.7 billion in 2017.
Mobile gaming is a big business in Canada, and over 11 million Canadians regularly play mobile-based games. Many people choose to play mobile games to pass the time when traveling to work, and the freemium model of mobile gaming means money is being spent by people who want to improve their chances of winning. If we look at the mobile gaming market between April 2021 and April 2022, the market share increased from 47% to 57%.
iGaming
Most people think of gaming as video games, but iGaming is also popular in Canada. A bill that was passed in Canada in 2021 means online casinos can obtain a license to operate legally in Canada. This has led to the development of several safe online casinos for Canadians, and more people are turning to online gambling as a form of entertainment. Online casinos offer a wide range of games, including slots, card games, table games, and real dealer games. Now iGaming has become legal in Canada, the number of people playing casino games is only going to increase. In fact, gambling is the largest entertainment industry in Canada and generates an estimated annual revenue of CA$17.3 billion.
Video Game Companies in Canada
Such is the popularity of gaming in Canada, there are hundreds of gaming companies in the country. There are over 100 gaming companies in Ontario alone, and they employ over 2000 people. This shows how important gaming has become to the economy of Canada, providing jobs to many people around the country. In Vancouver, over 5000 people are employed by gaming companies, and the city is home to Electronic Arts, one of the biggest gaming developers in the world. Referring back to Ontario as an example, the video game industry in the province is worth more than $265 million.
So, when assessing the figures, it quickly becomes apparent how popular gaming is in Canada and how it plays a vital role in the economy.
