Aussie game biz wants better funding

The Age reports that the Australian game development community fears that it might diminish in the same manner that its British counterpart if it isn’t given the same kind of funding and tax cuts that the movie industry is getting right now.

This is the status quo despite the fact that the videogame industry is growing fast and is reaching out to an ever widening audience than before. Amidst two decades of achievements for Aussie game makers, the country’s sanctioning bodies that wield the power to fund sectors is not impressed. They demand that the industry create “more culturally significant” games.

While that’s not a bad idea at all, it certainly diminishes the market appeal of some of the prospective titles. Australian culture is rich and wonderful, but it doesn’t necessarily hold the kind of universal recognition as American or Japanese settings, it is argued. That would be equivalent to saying that the games can be popular only in Australia and nowhere else. The wide markets of the US and Japan just won’t buy a rugby game.

Screen Play says that Australian developers are willing to give the local audience of games that have the flavor of the land down under written all over it, but the government needs to realize that the economics of it all must first be considered. Future Australian-themed games are assured by the developers, but it needs to grow a bit before that can happen. Developers are asking not to be judged on past work which had profits as the main priority.

The Age’s article also says that the potential of the Australian game development industry is huge, raking in over a hundred million dollars a year, with 90 percent of the revenue coming by way of exports. The message is clear coming from the devs to the state: Cut us some slack and we’ll deliver the goods!

Via The Age

The Age reports that the Australian game development community fears that it might diminish in the same manner that its British counterpart if it isn’t given the same kind of funding and tax cuts that the movie industry is getting right now.

This is the status quo despite the fact that the videogame industry is growing fast and is reaching out to an ever widening audience than before. Amidst two decades of achievements for Aussie game makers, the country’s sanctioning bodies that wield the power to fund sectors is not impressed. They demand that the industry create “more culturally significant” games.

While that’s not a bad idea at all, it certainly diminishes the market appeal of some of the prospective titles. Australian culture is rich and wonderful, but it doesn’t necessarily hold the kind of universal recognition as American or Japanese settings, it is argued. That would be equivalent to saying that the games can be popular only in Australia and nowhere else. The wide markets of the US and Japan just won’t buy a rugby game.

Screen Play says that Australian developers are willing to give the local audience of games that have the flavor of the land down under written all over it, but the government needs to realize that the economics of it all must first be considered. Future Australian-themed games are assured by the developers, but it needs to grow a bit before that can happen. Developers are asking not to be judged on past work which had profits as the main priority.

The Age’s article also says that the potential of the Australian game development industry is huge, raking in over a hundred million dollars a year, with 90 percent of the revenue coming by way of exports. The message is clear coming from the devs to the state: Cut us some slack and we’ll deliver the goods!

Via The Age