By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: June 6, 2012
With Vancouver now host to a great number of video game development studios, it has become a major player in the industry. We’ve even got programming and game design schools in the area. Yet, big name gaming magazines and news websites still tend to be based out of Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York.
At just 19, Mat Paget has recognized that unfilled niche. Living in Langley, he grew up playing games. “I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember,” he said. “I started out on the PC when I was a very young child.” For him, the fascination with games never stopped. He loved games so much, in fact, that when he went on the Internet, it was to try to find out what new games to play. That’s when he had the idea.
Paget dreamt up a novel concept – a dating site where people don’t hook up with other people, they hook up with new games. “We basically want to make a dating site … where a person will be able to find the video game they’ll fall in love with.” Or, he noted, maybe just a fleeting “fling” if that’s what they’re in the mood for.
He partnered up with his close friends Damian Turner and Nick Dodd, and together the trio developed the details and the layout of a new gaming website called GameSparked.com. The site has been up for just seven months, and already it’s got over 30,000 hits. The staff has jumped to 12 people, including eight writers, two musicians and an artist. The last month or so has been especially busy. “It was amazing to see how fast we went from 15,000 to 30,000 views,” he noted. “Things are going really well.”
Though the site is still in its early stages, with the “dating” Connections service set to launch shortly, it’s already stuffed with game reviews, original features, weekly game industry podcasts made by the GameSparked team and plenty of giveaways. They also plan to expand to include video content and more community-oriented services. “We’re also very devoted to the indie scene. We review many indie games and spend a lot of time with developers from the Fraser Valley,” he said. They’re currently looking for more local writers.
The podcasts, especially, are a major part of the site. They offer insights and plenty of humour for those who love games. “We’re like the Team 1040 of videogames” he laughed.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, known by most as E3, is like Christmas for gamers. It starts June 5 and ends June 7. GameSparked will celebrate the bevy of new game announcements, trailers and game industry news with nightly podcasts and major giveaways. The site’s E3 giveaways include an inflatable chainsaw from Lollipop Chainsaw, a soundtrack and art book from Catherine, two Steam keys for Bastion, three copies of The Humble Indie Bundle V, two copies of Batman: Arkham City and much more. “We’re extremely happy with what we’ve been able to pull together,” Paget said. All people have to do to win is to like GameSparked on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.
While the site is booming as it stands, Paget can’t wait for the Connections service to launch, which will also include a total site overhaul. Connections will allow gamers to search for games through over 15 major categories. “Each game can be connected by … genre, theme, protagonist, perspective, publisher, developer, etcetera,” he said. “We’re also developing an untitled ‘other’ category, where it will basically describe how the two games are connected, and why if you loved Devil May Cry you should play Bayonetta.”
Part of the appeal of the service is also how it will allow the community to improve the results. “The site will work like a wiki,” he explained, “allowing users to edit the database.” If the service seems comprehensive, that’s because Paget has done his homework. “I spent months researching and using dating sites to see what features could be used in a videogame sense.”
With so much passion for video games in the region, and so little competition from other media outlets, it’s no wonder that GameSparked has been able to take off within such a short timeframe. For those looking for a local dose of gaming news, there’s nowhere better to turn.
