Fandom culture has been on the rise over recent years. The popularity of video games, comic books, films, TV and more has increased dramatically. People’s interest over such things has developed thanks in part to the interest and it becoming more mainstream. What would once have been an obscure pastime is shared by people all over the world and brought things to the forefront. Now you can’t go into a store without seeing merchandise based on video game, film, cartoon and comic book characters, showing you how popular these franchises are and how more and more people are becoming fan of them.
The rise of such things has been a great boon to Canada. Not only has it enabled fans to enjoy their favourite things easier but it has also helped the Canadian economy. This can be seen within the games industry, online casinos such as Red Flush and fan conventions. Fan Expo Canada is a popular event, held most recently in Toronto that has been occurred for over twenty years. It invites guests from popular fandoms including comic book writers and artists, actors and more. Vendors were common across the convention, selling a wide variety of merchandise, often rare or elusive items.
The attendance for the event has grew significantly over time. 1995’s convention attracted around 1400-1500 people while 2014’s brought in over 125,000 people. Tickets started at $25 in 2016, and with money spent on merchandise and food, it would have brought in countless gains for the local Canadian economy, with people travelling across North America and the world to attend the event. This is just one such convention and shows what they can bring to a local economy and Canada is reaping the benefits.
The gaming business is also part of the growing power of fandom in Canada. It has the third largest gaming industry in the world, following the USA and Japan. Over 20,4000 people are employed across 472 companies, taking in over $3 billion in 2015, making it a rival to more traditional entertainment industries television and film. Bioware, EA Canada, Rockstar Vancouver and Ubisoft Montreal are amongst the largest firms. Red Flush online casino is a prominent online website and app that allows people across Canada to play a wide variety of casino games. It is part of the increased popularity of online casinos and is successful within the Canadian gaming business. It also features direct appeals at fandom, alluring people who would never try such games, using popular shows and characters as part of traditional casino experiences. People can try for free but then bet real money, allowing a try before you buy system of sorts.
These are just some of the examples as to how fandom culture is helping Canada’s economy and those around the world. Whether it’s events, video games, online casinos or whatever, appealing to the varied interests of people will only help to create opportunities, new customers and to market more directly to them.
