At the Museum of Industry in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, the story of work has long been told through shipyards and steel mills. Built on the site of the province’s first commercial coal mine and steam engine, the museum has celebrated two centuries of heavy industry. Last spring, however, it added a new chapter with an exhibit dedicated to Nova Scotia’s video game developers. For a place rooted in the industrial past, the addition is more than symbolic. It acknowledges that digital exports now stand alongside coal and steel in the province’s economic narrative.

“Talking about the video game industry, to me, is just kind of carrying on from all the different periods, pre-industrial spirit of invention,” said curator Denise Taylor. “This is a relatively new industry, but it’s a very predominant one.”

Unlike traditional exports such as seafood or forestry, games launch directly to a global audience in a market valued at more than US$184 billion—larger than film and music combined. While Atlantic Canada accounts for only a fraction of that, its trajectory is upward.

Continue reading this story: click below to login/subscribe

Login or Subscribe