research & impact research & impact
Our mission extends beyond financial support. We're advocating for a sector that values and supports co-ops and worker-centric models.
our work
We're committed to ethical research, data analysis, and dissemination on cooperative operating models in the Canadian game industry and interactive arts sector. This work comprises:
Current projects
- Cooperative Studio Accelerator Network (CSAN): training 25 mentors across 4 hubs and publishing 4 region-specific toolkits under CC BY-SA.
- a national study and white paper on the efficacy of incubators/accelerators for sustainable studios in partnership with academic institutions and researchers
- Flywheel: our impact measurement framework that blends longitudinal surveys with alumni follow-ups, financial management, and program analysis
- coop.love: a forthcoming space for the cooperative game development movement, with free and open-source resources including how-tos and guides, facilitator guides, by-law samples, finance models, templates, toolkits, and a directory of co-ops around the world.
Our 2022 Funding Barriers report
Our exploration into barriers for Canadian game developers kicked off with a survey in 2021. We gathered firsthand insights from the heart of the community, learning about the experiences and challenges faced when accessing funding. Read our 2022 report.
Our findings were eye-opening. We discovered a stark disparity in access, particularly for marginalized creators, with consequences that cascade throughout the industry. The need for more inclusive funding is obvious. Weird Ghosts continues this research.