Ottawa Game Dev Starter Guide

Whether you're new to game development and live in Ottawa, or you're new to Ottawa and well versed in game development, I believe the following information will be helpful in getting you more aware and involved in the Ottawa game development industry.

First off, Ottawa does have a game development industry. I want to put that out there because most people, assume it doesn't and immediately think of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and perhaps a few other cities. This isn't unfounded, given the size of the industry in these cities, but Ottawa is also an industry player.

You should also know that because Ottawa doesn't have the big triple A (AAA) companies, such as Ubisoft, EA, etc., the grand majority of developers are independent, or "indie".

What is an indie dev?

If you aren't aware, an indie developer is an individual or small group of people creating games, often in their free time and are usually self-funded. Indie games are also quite often innovative and experimental as they're usually not supported or overseen by large publishers, meaning these indie developers have full creative control. This also means that anyone can be an indie developer. All you need is an interest in making games, a willingness to learn, and your imagination.

Where do you start?

There are a number of groups, events and resources that you can start with.

Local Schools

If you'd like to go to post-secondary education, Ottawa has Carleton University↗, University of Ottawa↗, and Algonquin College↗.

Carleton University has its School of Information Technology (IT) with a few sub programs. Their Interactive Multimedia & Design program↗ (IMD) isn't strictly about game development, but it does have a game development-focused stream, and teaches other aspects of game development such as graphic design, marketing, web design, and more.

Carleton's IT students also run a club called BITsoc↗ (Bachelors of Information Technology Society). This club creates engaging events and helps students with their academic careers.

The Carleton Game Development Club↗ is another student-run club specifically about creating and playing games.

Carleton also plays host as one of the longest-running Global Game Jam↗ (GGJ) sites. This 48-hour event is open to the public & occurs annually at the end of January. GGJ is a fantastic event that occurs all over the world, and we're lucky enough to have a local site.

University of Ottawa doesn't have a game development program, but within its faculty of engineering, there are many taught skills that can be applied to game development.

U of O students also run their own Game Development Club↗, which also runs their own events.

Algonquin College has a Game Development↗ program that has consistently produced excellent graduates.

Local Groups

There are also other groups that you can join without having to start school.

One such group are the Dirty Rectangles↗. They've been running their monthly meetups for over a decade. Their "Show and Chill" meetups are open to anyone with interest in game development and they encourage you to show off your latest work and projects. If you have a full game, an experimental shader, or even a new piece of music, you are welcome to show it off and discuss it with others. If you have nothing to show that month, you are also welcome to simply enjoy the company of other game devs.

Another group are the Ottawa Game Makers↗. This group puts on monthly talks and panels with a more formal setting in which the speaker will present on a subject, after which there is a question period. Once concluded, then the event opens up to a socializing period.

Ottawa Games↗ is a website dedicated to showcasing the Ottawa game development industry. Through the site, you can find local developers, individuals as well as studios, their games, local events, and other resources. This is a good website for finding other people involved in the local industry, I recommend exploring further.

Local Games

Below is a small list of games you may have heard of that you weren't aware were made in Ottawa.

You can learn more about these games and many more through the Ottawa Games website↗.

I hope this gave you a few options for joining the local Ottawa game development industry. Everyone is very friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable.

Thank you for reading!