Because of the lockdown implemented in various regions across Australia brought about by the global pandemic, people had no other choice but to stay home most of the time. This is very fortunate for the Australian video game industry though as more and more people tend to relax at home by playing video games. This only catapulted the revenue made by Aussie video games in 2020 which was about $185 million.

Great Year for the Video Game Industry

Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games Entertainment Association (IGEA), said that while 2020 is a great year for the video game industry, the support that it can get from both state and federal government is still crucial to hit the billion-dollar mark. “State governments are the only ones carrying the burden at the moment,” he said. 

Mr. Curry also added, “We've seen some great support from Victoria, from Queensland, WA, South Australia, Tasmania — these states are really leaning in hard with the industry and trying to develop their local industry.” Nevertheless, he also said that “If you had a product in the market it (2020) was a great year.” 

He further added “We definitely had an increase in people playing games, which moves to an increase in people making games. People were searching out new things to play by moving away from just the standard.”

IGEA recently conducted a survey that revealed that 87% of the revenue garnered by gaming in Australia was generated overseas, with the majority of the games created for mobile devices and personal computers.

76% of the studios producing games reported a stable revenue amidst the pandemic. More than half of this statistic is confident that they will be able to continue producing games in the years to come because the future looks bright for their industry. Currently, there are over a thousand full-time employees within the gaming development industry in Australia.

On a global scale, the gaming industry is worth about $260 billion, with Australia contributing 0.6% of the market. Given how talented Aussie developers are, this figure is heartbreaking, according to Mr. Curry.

On the other hand, according to Danny Pearson, the Minister for Creative Industries, the global games market is booming and the trend is rising. In a statement, he added, “This latest investment will help game businesses scale up and support more local creators.” 

Heavy Online Games

While the gaming industry in Australia is on the rise, what seems to be holding back Aussie developers and gamers is unstable internet connection. Regardless of the device and platform, mobile or desktop, regular online updates are required to improve every game application. Fortunately, there is a wide range of broadband and NBN plans in the market today that satisfy the requirements of heavy online games. This and any further support from the government will definitely lead the industry towards a high score.