Video game production is worth around $250 billion annually, but Australia’s slice of that pie is tiny – just $114 million.
It’s so paltry New Zealand’s games industry generates more revenue, while the UK and Canadian game development industries are 10 times bigger than Australia’s.
The local sector believes it can easily become a $1 billion industry, creating 10,000 new highly-skilled full-time jobs and last week the Victorian government announced that for the first time it would include digital games projects in its $19.2 million Victorian Screen Incentive program.
But the industry is pushing for federal support with lobby group the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) pushing for a 30% tax offset and the restoration of Screen Australia’s Interactive Games Fund.
