This document discusses several video game clusters around the world, including Montreal, Vancouver, and Tokyo. It describes what a cluster is and how clusters can increase productivity, drive innovation, and stimulate new businesses in a field. The document then provides details on the Montreal, Vancouver, and Tokyo video game clusters, such as the major developers located there, government investments in the industry, number of employees, and annual video game conventions. Finally, it discusses the advantages of working within an industry cluster.

1. Video Game Clusters

2. What is a cluster? A cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field. Porter claims that clusters have the potential to affect competition in three ways: by increasing the productivity of the companies in the cluster by driving innovation in the field by stimulating new businesses in the field

3. Montreal Video Game Cluster Montreal is one of the world’s fastest-expanding game community. The community has become a hub for producing the best and most popular video games in the world. The cluster attracts the main developers, world renowned editors and innovative studies from countries all around the globe. "Only Few places in the world can compete with Montreal's vibrant and diverse video game industry" (Justin Creally).

5. Electronic Arts

7. Vancouver Video Game Cluster Vancouver is another booming cluster. The game development industry now includes about 86 companies that directly develop video games. There are approximately 3,500 employees working in the video game industry in Vancouver.

8. Vancouver Video Game Cluster Cont… Vancouver has its own gaming culture and talent pool, it also has some notable connections to the Seattle gaming cluster Vancouver game developing companies also have a long history of merging with or acquiring one another, and many have ended up as part of a multinational company, such as Black Box Games, a company acquired by Electronic Arts in 2001.

9. Tokyo Video Game Cluster Tokyo has also been booming for many years and the city is known for hosting the largest video game convention on the planet, which attracts more than 100,000 people each year! The exhibition presents newly invented video games, digital entertainment, mobile games, consoles and more!

10. Tokyo Video Game Cluster Cont… One of the largest and main area of the game show are companies such as Capcom, Sony and Square Enix. The next Tokyo Game Show will take place on Sept 2010 at MakuhariMesse

11. Clusters – Moving Advantage Working in a cluster based environment is an advantage. Job mobility without moving to another area, larger scale accessibility, and security of employment rates can benefit anyone working within a cluster. The like hood of getting a job in a clustered industry is greatly increased. So where is your cluster?

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