GDAA: Australian Games Industry Growth At 15%

Officials from the GDAA (Game Developers Association Australia) have welcomed data compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), which shows year-on-year growth for the industry of around 15 percent. As of the end of June 2007, the ABS data showed there were forty-five businesses in Australia involved in video game development. They employed over 1,400 people and generated a total income of $136.9 million during the year - an average of $3 million per business. The majority of income for the companies was earned from overseas sources, amounting to 79.1 percent ($108.3 million) of total income. Government funding contributed 1.2 percent ($1.7m) to the total income figure. Home console game development accounted for 71.1 percent ($83.2 million) of total income, with PC and Mac format titles accounting for 14.6 percent ($17.1 million). Handheld console development accounted for 9.6 percent ($11.2 million) of the total and mobile phones and other formats the remaining 4.7 percent. Of the 1,431 people employed by the video games industry during the period, 89.2 percent were male, with 34.3 percent of employees being artists and animators, 29.1 percent programmers and 14.8 percent managerial, administrative or clerical workers. Permanent full-time employees accounted for 92.6 percent of total employment, with the majority of offices located in either Queensland or Victoria. While welcoming the research, GDAA chief executive Greg Bondar has suggested that the data understates the value and size of the industry, in that it does not include companies that are ancillary to the industry such as art production houses and audio providers. “The Australian game development industry is growing at a rapid rate,” said Tom Crago, president of the GDAA. “We’re seeing year-on-year increases of around 15 percent, which emphasizes both the strength and potential of the industry here in Australia. In an environment where many other industries are contracting, Australian game development is going from strength to strength.”