Canada's first video game union shows that labour organizing is on the rise

Video game workers in Edmonton became the first video game union in Canada — and the third in North America — after voting unanimously to unionize this month. (Shutterstock)

In a historic move, video game workers in Edmonton unanimously voted to unionize for the first time in Canada. Video game unions are notoriously rare in North America. There are only two others on the continent, both of which are in the U.S.

This union is an important step for an industry that has been accused of exploitative working conditions for decades. The workers at Keywords Studio were motivated by concerns over return-to-work policies following the COVID-19 pandemic, a weak time-off policy and low pay.