MONTREAL — Canada is a growing ‘games superpower’ and now one of the top video game developers in the world, according to a study released Tuesday at the fifth annual Montreal International Games Summit.

British Columbia has the largest number of game developers per capita in the world — 3,500 out of a population of just over four million — followed by Washington state and Quebec, says a study by SECOR Conseil commissioned by the Quebec new media business network Alliance Numerique.

The study focused on the Quebec industry, which has experienced ‘phenomenal growth in the past five years,’ SECOR’s Carole Deniger said at a press conference at Montreal’s Palais de Congrès convention center, where the game gathering is taking place Tuesday and Wednesday.

In 2000, Quebec employed only 500 game developers, a workforce that has grown by nearly 10 times that figure in less than a decade, said Deniger. ‘We are now ranked among the top in the world and we have extraordinary growth potential.’

But because the industry is growing there is a labor shortage in the province, said Alliance Numérique president André d’Orsonnens. ‘It’s hard to keep pace with the growth. Finding qualified people is a problem,’ he told Playback Daily. ‘We have started going into schools to demystify the industry — to show just how attractive it is.’

Attracting women is also a concern, he added, surveying the hundreds of 20-ish males mingling on the conference center floor or lining up to play virtual skateboard games, Boogie Superstar and Guitar Hero.

‘I’m not sure why there aren’t more women, because we don’t just need computer programmers, we need artists as well. And I can’t imagine there are more male artists than female ones,’ he said.

Artificial Mind and Movement executive Christophe Watkins believes that game making might seem geeky or nerdy to young women. ‘Perhaps we’re not doing a good enough job of telling people about what it’s like to work in the industry. There are lots of benefits,’ he remarked.

Quebec offers generous tax breaks to video game companies, up to 37.5% of labor costs. Labor accounts for roughly 80% of overall costs in the gaming industry.

The biggest benefactor of that government cash is France-based Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed), which is expanding its Montreal studio and doubling its workforce to 3,000 over the next five years. The company also plans to build a new production center specializing in digital cinema.

‘The turning point in Quebec was Ubisoft’s arrival. The tax credit created the perfect conditions. It allowed a critical mass of talent,’ agreed Jean-Martin Masse, the CAO of local game maker AM&M (Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda).

Masse added he doesn’t anticipate a slowdown in demand for video games because of the looming global recession. ‘Video games are cheap entertainment. In dire times people stay home and play,’ he said.