Trends for Australia’s Digital Gaming Industry Hosted by AICC
01 August 2024
On Tuesday 30th July, Australia India Chamber of Commerce (AICC), supported by the City of Melbourne, hosted the 'Trends for Australia's Digital Gaming Industry'. The event was hosted by AICC Chief Operating Officer, and self confessed 'gaming nerd, Morry Morgan, with panelists consisting of Greg Arthurton of Nvidia, Ken Cantrill of Xentrix Studios Australia, and Fortress Chairman, Adrian Giles.
The session started with the introduction of Adrian, who discussed the vision of Fortress, aiming to be the world’s top games culture destination, encompassing board games, PC games, e-sports, arcades, tabletop games, cosplay, and more. He highlighted the purpose-built Alienware Arena in Melbourne and Sydney, designed as permanent e-sports facilities. Fortress also includes medieval-themed taverns, a local area network lounge for PC games, arcades, streamer pods, and broadcast studios. Adrian emphasised the blend of social gaming with food and beverage services and the popularity of game streaming.
Adrian mentioned that Fortress attracts around 750,000 visitors annually in Melbourne and Sydney and has an online audience of approximately 250,000. The audience demographic is about 60% male and 40% female, with an average age of 27 to 30. The gaming audience is mainly Gen Z and young millennials. Fortress supports social gaming, where friends gather to play games in person. Adrian categorised gamers into hobby gamers, social gamers, and casual gamers, each with distinct gaming preferences. He mentioned that Fortress hosts around 13,500 visitors weekly and runs extensive surveys on games culture.
Ken Cantrill spoke next, highlighting Xentrix Studios Australia. He discussed the company's establishment three years ago and its ongoing projects, including "Stick & Willow," endorsed by Cricket Australia , and an animated TV show based on "Peggy Molly", based around Molly the magpie, and Peggy the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, of staffy. Ken emphasised the importance of finding and creating intellectual property (IP) with existing audiences, and highlighted the connection with India and its passion for the game of cricket.. Ken also noted the relationship between gaming and animation, stating that gaming is essentially interactive animation.
Greg from Nvidia talked about the company’s history and its evolution from a startup to a leading technology firm. He highlighted the significant impact of Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs) on gaming and other industries like AI, driverless cars, and quantum chemistry. Greg emphasized Nvidia’s focus on software development to enhance GPU performance. He also discussed AI technologies like deep learning super sampling and frame generation, which improve gaming graphics and performance. Nvidia’s AI-driven hardware now plays a crucial role in content creation, offering substantial time savings and efficiency.
The session concluded with a discussion on the potential of AI in the gaming and animation industries. Greg addressed concerns about AI taking over jobs, stating that AI is more of a tool that enhances productivity rather than a competitor. Adrian discussed Fortress’s expansion plans, focusing on licensing the brand internationally, particularly in English-speaking markets. The event wrapped up with a Q&A session, where panelists answered audience questions on various topics, including AI, IP development, and market expansion.
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