North American Game Development Capitals

When considering a job in the games industry there are a number of factors that you must weigh in your decision to pursue this career.  Things like salary expectations, family-related requirements, and specific job duties are typically at the top of most people's list when they research job openings.  Another critical element to keep in mind is the proximity of other game development studios to the one you are applying to.

While the industry as a whole continues to grow in many directions, any given place of employment can be quite volatile.  Even studios doing well one day can suddenly be closed the next.  With that in mind it makes sense to place an added emphasis on finding a job in an area flush with opportunity should the current role not work out.

By calculating both the number of, and size of, studios in a given area, gamejobhunter.com has published a handy analysis of the "Power Rating" of North American game development hubs.

Here's what they've found:

#11	Dallas
#10	New York City
#09	Chicago
#08	Toronto
#07	Boston
#06	Montreal
#05	Vancouver
#04	Austin
#03	Seattle
#02	Los Angeles
#01	San Francisco

California continues to be the NA capital of game development as both the Bay Area and LA hold the #1 and #2 spots for most game development opportunity today.  Click each city above for detail on existing studios, and for more information on the process used to create these ratings click here.