Video game developers say SA could be at forefront of nation’s billion dollar entertainment industry

MEET South Australia’s band of independent video game developers crafting out-of-this world characters.

A GIANT space crab which devours galaxies, a horned warrior battling underground enemies, and two rabbit-like friends on a quest to bring light back to a world plunged into infinite sadness.

These are some of the creations from the minds of South Australia’s growing tribe of video game developers; independent programmers and artists capturing the attention of the world’s largest video game companies.

SA is home to at least 39 independent game companies working on titles for phones, iPads and major video game consoles, producing original content with all revenue returning to the state.

They believe the state could be at the forefront of the ­nation’s $2.462 billion video game industry, helping to reboot the state’s economy, but want more government support.

John Millard, director of SA company Two Lives Left, said there has never been a better time to be a games developer.

“The availability of tools, technology and distribution platforms have lowered the barrier of entry more than ever before,” he said.

Mr Millard, whose company is creating SA’s first funded and developed Xbox One title, said with the right attitude and support from the game development community, Adelaide could be at the forefront of the industry.

“We are in the process of forming a commercial game developers association to drive policy towards making more resources available for game developers in SA,” he said.

“If upcoming and existing studios take advantage of these resources then we will be able to create higher quality games in less time and in greater volume.

“Game development provides a potentially lucrative export commodity that is not reliant on finite resources or manufacturing.”

In February the Academy of Interactive Entertainment opened an Adelaide campus offering courses in game art and animation, game programming, game design and production and 3D animation and visual effects.

Robin Potanin, head of the Grenfell St campus, said the industry was working to unify in a more professional way to prove to the Government that “we are here and we are earning money”.

“We have got the talent, we are bringing in income ... we just don’t have the big presence in the media or in the government’s eyes,” she said.

Dan Thorsland, producer at Mighty Kingdom, said the video game industry had “crossed the boundaries of gender, of class and of stereotype” and was viable.

“We have to find ways to get ... the same kind of interaction and support from Federal and State Government that supports our film and television industry,” he said.

Mr Thorsland said he had delivered more than $25 million worth of Australian content that was shipped worldwide.

Monkeystack company director Justin Wight, whose animation and game development studio employs a core team of about 10, said “there’s big business in games”.

“I think government funding can strap a turbocharger on some projects to help them get to market more quickly and thus a return for the economy more quickly, too,” he said.

Reaping the rewards of life in the virtual world

By Ben Pike

SHE used to flip burgers on the graveyard shift at McDonald’s while studying at university but today Sarah Pike could list her full-time occupation as online gaming celebrity.

Back in January, the 22-year-old swapped her cooking utensils for a gaming console and since then has enjoyed the spoils of being a gamer on Twitch TV, where subscribers watch her play video games.

The Adelaide twin, who is known to her fans as Artemis, is one of a growing number of young Australian women being paid good money to play video games with subscribers from around the world. Subscribers pay $6.70 a month to watch her play popular games such as Call of Duty and Counter-Strike, and she gets to keep half of that fee.

She also gets tips and donations of between $100 and $2000 – enough to make it her full-time job.

Sarah Pike, 22, at home in Modbury Heights.

“I love playing but I’m nowhere near the best player out there,” she said.

“People watch me for entertainment and having an interactive stream. I will play the games with viewers and they can ask me questions.

“Now that streaming is becoming bigger there are more girls becoming involved.

“Guys like to see girls playing video games.”

Every time Ms Pike goes online she has between 200 and 400 viewers, but hopes to grow that number when she gets a better internet connection.

She started off playing Super Nintendo at a very young age before falling in love with games such as Gears of War, RuneScape and Black Ops.

Ms Pike also hosts interstate events where gamers come together to duke it out.

She is among a young generation of celebrity online gamers, earning good money without leaving their bedrooms.

Nine million YouTube viewers a month watch Sydney gamer Elliot Watkins, who earns an estimated $108,000 a year from YouTube alone.

“When I was young I always used to watch my favourite YouTube people – they were the movie stars of my time,” Mr Watkins said.

“Nine million views per month is just a number. The best thing is to actually meet people who watch me.”

Next month players of multiplayer online battle arena game Dota 2 will gather in Seattle to compete for $22 million in prizemoney – almost double the $13 million prizemoney on offer in the US Masters golf tournament.