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This week, some of the ENTRY LVL team had the pleasure of attending XP Summit Toronto, a B2B event in Canada. One of Canada’s hotspots for creative media, Toronto has recently seen a surge in large companies like Ubisoft and Fortis.

This year, XP Game Summit had a really heavy focus on indie studios and games, and that helped make it very accessible for entry level gamers. In general, I find XP events in the video game industry very accessible, and even saw people I met last year at MIGS almost immediately! If you get a chance, I sincerely recommend applying to go to pitch your game in front of other devs or even to just attend (Check out Amir Satvat and other initiatives that give out the tickets for free!).

The XP Game Summit here felt a little bit smaller, which again helped out with meeting people; there were a lot of small teams and studios being represented at booths that made it very easy to approach, playtest, and meet folks.

Cost-wise, I found Toronto’s summit to be a little bit more expensive overall. This was, however, due to the fact that hotels in the area are generally more expensive than other locations, and for safety reasons I preferred not to stay in any shared accommodation in the area. Food and travel are a bit more expensive too, however with trains, buses, and railcars Toronto is very accessible overall.

In games, there were about 40 booths with a variety of content! Some of my favourites were “Button Man”, “Criss Cross Castle”, and the indie pitch done for Alchemach.

I find these networking events to be very helpful, as it has allowed me to get an entry point into the industry and learn a lot from many different creatives. However, it is an expensive price point: normally hovering around 400$ CAD for a ticket. Because of this, I would only recommend an event like this if you are already prepared. Here’s some things I’d recommend doing first!

• Have your resume and cover letter updated and ready to submit online at any time
• Have your resume checked to meet ATS and industry standards
• (If needed) Have an up to date portfolio ready
• Spend a couple months in the industry space to better understand it and potentially meet some folks who will be at the event prior to the event itself
  • This is optional, but I’d recommend it because this gets you used to the environment of job hunting in games, the atmosphere of devs, and the general vibe.

Most of the time, you’re going to have to make the first initiation and introduce yourself. Say hi, ask about games! It’s a conference for people who love them; I can guarantee folks will be easy to talk to and very friendly 🙂