The Government of Victoria is working to support the region’s booming digital games sector in delivering a record-breaking year, reinforcing the state’s position as Australia’s epicentre for the industry. Over the last year, the Government has supported digital games have injected AU$9.7 million into the state economy – representing a 117 per cent increase over the previous year.
Through VicScreen’s Victorian Production Fund, a further $1.4 million will support the production of 14 new locally created digital games projects – supporting the continued growth of Victoria’s strong digital games sector, while delivering more skilled jobs.
Further investing in the future of the industry, VicScreen’s Victorian Games Development Internship program is now open and seeking early vocation digital games creators looking to fast-track their careers.
The paid program enables interns to gain well-rounded experience at world-leading studio Sledgehammer Games – known for their work on the Call of Duty series – renowned Victorian indie developer, Robot Circus, and the state’s creative and economic screen development agency VicScreen. The announcement comes alongside news that Victorian-made games are preparing to hit screens across the globe.
Worth over AU$200 billion globally, the digital games industry is one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment sectors. Victoria is Australia’s game development capital with more than half of the industry based in the state, producing locally made games played by millions of people around the world.
Later this month, Victoria’s games industry will be showcased at the world’s biggest games industry event, GamesCom in Germany – with Australia the focus country led by Victoria’s 35-strong delegation. Applications for the Games Development Internship are open from 10 August to 8 September 2022.
The Minister for Creative Industries stated that through the region’s AU$ 191.5 million VicScreen strategy, the government is backing the growth of the digital games industry and positioning Victoria as a global hub for game development and innovation, alongside our strengths in film and TV.
He added that the Government is investing in the Victorian-made gems that nurture local talent and create future-focused jobs while showcasing our cutting-edge digital gaming sector to audiences across the world.
The gaming market was valued at US$ 198.40 billion in 2021, and it is projected to reach a value of US$ 339.95 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 8.94% over the forecast period.
As a result of nationwide lockdowns implemented because of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe, some people turned to game platforms to occupy their time. Thus, these platforms gained hundreds and thousands of new visitors to online traffic. Video gaming trends are experiencing a massive surge in players and revenue.
The ongoing and continuous technological advancements in the gaming industry are significantly growing the industry’s growth. They are enhancing the way games are created and improving the overall gaming experience of the users.
Game developers across emerging economies are continually striving to enhance the gaming experience by launching and rewriting codes for diverse consoles/platforms incorporated into a standalone product provided to gamers through a cloud platform.
The growing prevalence of internet connectivity, increasing adoption of smartphones, and high bandwidth network connectivity have propelled the increased demand of the gaming market across the globe.
As of November 2021, one report notes that 170 mobile operators launched commercial 5G services with a 7% population penetration at the end of 2021, resulting in novel opportunities for mobile vendors to introduce 5G smartphones in the market.
