In a new report called “Working in Australia’s Digital Games Industry” it is estimated that Australians will be spending $5.8 billion in the digital game industry over the next four years.
“Working in Australia’s Digital Games Industry” is a new report which focuses on three areas of the industry, mainly its evolution, characteristics and performance, the skills of games workers and the international games environment.
According to this study, Australians will be spending $5.8 billion over the course of the next four years. It also observes that highly skilled staff is fundamental for the development of the Australian digital games industry and that the development of mobile and online games will play a big role in its development.
“The industry can look forward to a 50% increase in spending by Australians on games, rising from $1.1 billion in 2009 to an estimated $1.6 billion in 2014,” said Dr Sandra Haukka, from the Queensland University of Technology.
The report also identifies several shortages in the Australian gaming industry, including miscommunication between the industry and the gaming courses, lack of skill and too much reliance on overseas talent, and offers advice to overcome these problems.
“To grow and prosper, studios must also take greater advantage of increasing revenue strings from online and mobile games,” said Dr Haukka.
“[They must] adopt new business models, respond to new audiences and changing player demographics, and explore new ines of business, such as serious games and advergaming – using computer games as promotional aids,” she concluded.
The Australian Gaming Industry
Over the last 30 years, some Australian game developers have achieved international recognition, like Atari’s PS2 Grand Prix Challenge, Auran’s Dark Reign and Ratbag’s Dirt Track Racing.
As of June 2007, there were 45 game developers in Australia, employing 1,431 workers and generating an income of $136.9 million, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Of these workers, 48.6% are located in Queensland and 63.5% of them are artists, animators and programmers.
The report can be downloaded here.
