a day ago
- Games are the art form of our time: 82% of Australians played in 2025, average age 35, and women make up over half of players.
- Digital games development is the fastest-growing cultural creative activity in Australia, with 93% of revenue from overseas exports.
- Games are weightless digital files, making them ideal creative exports for regional areas like Tasmania.
- Cultural policy should reflect how Australians actually live; video games are increasingly central to daily life.
- Games tackle serious themes like body image, immigration, and mental health, comparable to literature and film.
- Recommendations include: fund games as culture with multi-year operational support, fix the Digital Games Tax Offset to include small studios, add regional loading to funding, and back talent development through community and education.
- International examples show strong returns: UK games fund returns £3.80–£7.30 per £1 invested.