Why see Montreal when you can spend the day touring cool local video game studios?  (Okay, we stayed in town longer to do that first thing, too).  Invest Quebec was nice enough to organize a field trip–no permission slip necessary–for the press junket on Friday, so we made it inside Ubisoft Montreal, A2M, EA Montreal, and Autodesk.

The thing that really struck me was the size of the development teams.  Ten people, that I can wrap my mind around.  Three hundred?  Call me silly, but I guess I never really thought about the man power behind the big titles.  It’s kind of like the birds and the bees.  Mommy, where do games come from?

At MIGS this past week, I had a chance (giggle, giggle) to play the Nintendo Wii.  Excite Truck, Wario Ware, Wii Sports, and Twilight Princess were up–full versions, not demos–and I’m happy to say I got my anxious little hands on all four.

Excite Truck was fun, but hard to handle.  Wario Ware, with its different hand positions, definitely takes getting used to.  But Wii Sports rocks, hard.  I played tennis, which was especially fun/strange because you end up flailing.  Oh, and did I mention I wacked a Wii girl?  Straight in the arm.  Apparently video games do cause violence.

As for Twilight Princess, I’ve got to say, I have my doubts.  Maybe it’s because I want it to be good so bad.  But the “realistic” graphics are looking pretty N64 (except the water effects, which get two thumbs up), and the new controls feel forced.  Then again, I played for what, five minutes?  Only time–and a review copy–will tell.

So who out there is camping for a Wii?

Tax breaks? Low cost of living? Fresh-made croissants?

I’ve been hearing a lot over the past few days about Montreal as a hub for game development, and now you get to hear about it, too! Did you know that there are seventy teams of developers working in the Montreal area? Did you know that Quebec’s government supports the local game industry through serious tax breaks? Can you tell I’ve spent too much time with Invest Quebec?

In all seriousness, Montreal seems like a cool place to be a video game developer. I for one never realized what a community they have up there (Wow, I really am an Alliance Numericq ad). Even if you’re just a high school kid looking at colleges, hoping to some day break into game design, maybe you should think Montreal. Ubisoft Campus is in its second year, and both EA Montreal and Ubisoft Montreal said they’re looking for fresh grads, plus they hire 80% local.

Or, if you’re not in Montreal, they’re still perks for being Canadian–like the just-announced Great Canadian Game Competition. Of course, there’s always that proud-to-be-from-Canada inspiration people keep talking about; that’s new IP right there. When was the last time you played a game about syrup? Innovation, I say, innovation.

It’s Sunday night, and we’re back from Montreal and the 2006 International Games Summit–which was, P.S., super-fun. Canada says hello. But could someone please tell me who I am again? I’ve been away too long to remember.

Between the conference, the after-parties, the interviews, and the press junket, I’ve seen (and learned) a heck of a lot since Tuesday. If you’re curious about the conference keynotes–almost all excellent–check out Gamasutra’s coverage from both myself and Matthew “Your Accent Rocks” Kumar. Not that anyone calls him that. But his accent does rock.

Anyways, the plan is to post every day this week with some tidbit from Montreal: thoughts on insider studio tours, playing the Wii, Reggie’s sales push, the Arcadia festival, and Quebec as a hot spot for game development.

Now where did I put my life? I could swear I left it right here…

I like small spaces.  Closets.  Attics.  Pantry shelves.  Okay, I don’t fit in that last one anymore.  But, as the saying goes between Scott and me, I am big on holes.

Add that to my general fascination to all things spooky, and, as you can imagine, you get a major cave obsession.  There… just… so… cool… It’s a visceral thing, almost dream-like.  All those unpredictable, organic, interior spaces.  It makes me happy.

My favorite video games are those that they remind of caves (as usual, I’m thinking of Mario64)–in their contained nature, in their need to be explored, in their compartmentalized, area-to-area quality, in their surreal dimensions. 

The game idea that I was working on a while back (Yes, Patrick, I know, I’m a slacker) was actually based on recreating this sense of interior exploration.  I’m not the first one to think about the link between caves and games though.  Apparently Miyamoto’s original inspiration for The Legend of Zelda was a childhood spent exploring caves.

Who knew?  Apparently everyone but me.

Lost: one video game.
Reward: love, admiration, and serious know-it-all-gamer points.
Last seen: 1995, old-school Mac.
Description: platformy-y, vaguely colored, room to room, underground adventure sort of game, featuring a (definitely pixellated) little man in a hat, conveyor belts, rolling skulls, ladders, and coins.
Have you seen this game?  I miss it so.  Help bring it home!