E-Business
Issue No. 33 - February/March 2007
Don‘t let opportunity to build games industry pass us by
by Ms Leila Henderson
The global electronic games industry is predicted to grow to US$65.9 billion in the next five years, far outstripping film and television revenue, but will South Australians be nimble enough to jump on the bandwagon?
Can we combat the three challenges of accessing startup capital, establishing a route to market and maintaining a steady flow of qualified people in this talent-hungry sector?
Although the State’s multimedia industry is still reeling from the loss of poster child Ratbag, bought and then folded by US company Midway Games, there are several factors in our favour.
We are blessed with an abundance of creative talent, generated from universities, TAFE and specialist training establishments like the Multimedia, Animation and Design (MAD) Academy and the Entertainment Technology Centre (ETC) of Carnegie Mellon University.
Last year, MAD Academy won a $2 million grant to set up an international training facility for 3D animators in Adelaide. The centre offers sought-after training to local and international students, feeding strong industry demand.
ETC is recognised internationally as the premier school for preparing people for the games industry. It provides masters degree programs that take already highly qualified individuals from engineering and the arts to form interdisciplinary teams, tackling real-life projects.
Premier Mike Rann showed foresight in attracting the Carnegie Mellon faculty to Adelaide, for its profile, its ability to attract overseas students and the knowledge transfer from both staff and students. ETC director Dr John Buchanan, former head of research at the world’s largest video game company, Electronic Arts, says the North American games industry is looking to outsource and diversify its investments, creating direct opportunities for Australian companies to provide new ideas and people.
Dr Buchanan points to success stories such as Pandemic and Krome in Australia and Sidhe i...
