[LINK] Melbourne International Games Week .. 5th-13th October

[Stephen Loosley]

Melbourne International Games Week

http://gamesweek.melbourne/melbourne-international-games-week-back-2019


The newest games and innovative technology from Australia and around the world will be on show at Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW).

Now in its fifth year, MIGW is the largest games festival in Asia Pacific, with 30+ conferences, events, and activities for gamers, industry, educators and families.

More than 77,000 people will attend over nine days to explore the future of games, network and test their playing skills!

Digital games is now the largest entertainment market globally, worth more than the movie and music industries combined.

Australia’s games industry income alone is $2.2 billion and projected to grow to $3.3 billion by 2020.

MIGW brings together leading developers, games publishers and platforms to showcase Australia’s flourishing games industry, celebrate games culture and build business relationships. International companies like Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, Valve, Epic and Apple will be coming to connect with Australian talent at this year’s MIGW.

Australia’s premier game development conference, Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP), returns for not two but three days of thought-provoking sessions for over 1,000 local and international games developers and, for the first time in 2019, there is a Careers Fair.

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said, “Melbourne is at the centre of Australia’s digital games industry – more than half of Australia’s digital games studios are based here and our games are played all over the world.”

“Our local studios are producing some of the most innovative games – from popular entertainment games like Armello, Hand of Fate and Mountain’s BAFTA-winning Florence, to serious games transforming business practices like Earthlight, currently being used by NASA to train astronauts.”

Games Week kicks-off with a rollicking ride in the first ever Australian Train Jam, ‘Locomojam’, where game developers will collaborate and create new games during an epic 27-hour journey from Brisbane to Melbourne, and display them at PAX AUS.

PAX AUS, the only PAX outside the USA, returns bigger and better in 2019, showcasing ground-breaking new products and titles, next generation virtual reality, traditional tabletop and boardgames, live music, cosplay and more!

The rising stars of Australia’s independent game-makers are also unveiled at PAX Rising.

MIGW also has plenty of family-friendly activities. For the first time, visitors can take a tour of Melbourne’s streets in 1910 and meet some of the city’s most notorious characters in new augmented reality game Misadventure in Little Lon.

Other program highlights include

• Education in Games Summit where leading educators show games transforming teaching and learning
• High Score: Composition and Sound Art in Gaming 2019, two days of expert talks, tech courses and hands-on workshops exploring music in games with Niamh Houston, Manami Matsumae and Takahiro Izutani
• Parallels: The Freeplay Showcase, a demonstration and discussion of the most experimental new games
• The Australian Game Developer Awards
• Invite only Games for Change Lunch

MIGW is an initiative of the Victorian Government in partnership with Film Victoria, ACMI, Game Developers’ Association of Australia and PAX AUS. Events will be held in the Melbourne CBD including the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 5-13 October 2019.
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70% OF AUSTRALIANS PLAY VIDEO GAMES AND IT’S NOT WHO YOU THINK

http://gamesweek.melbourne/70-of-australians-play-video-games-and-its-not-who-you-think/


Women make and play games in record numbers

Digital games have become a favourite national pastime. Almost 70% of Australians are now playing digital games with women making up nearly half of all players.

Women are getting into games to de-stress, have fun, to improve their thinking skills and dexterity, to pass the time and for social engagement, research in the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association’s (IGEA) Digital Australia Report 2018 shows.

Far from a solitary pursuit, over 92% of people play games with others. And it’s not just young people.

The study shows that digital games are for the whole family. Adults aged over 65 are the fastest-growing group of new players, while parents are also embracing the large number of family-friendly games available to bond with their children. Over 97% of homes with children have digital games.

Long-time video-game fan, game developer and mother of two, Clara Reeves is one of them. She says, “Games are a mainstream medium now. There is more range in content than a lot of people realise. There are contemplative artistic experiences, deep stories, things that give your brain a good workout… it’s not all shooters and dexterity-based games. Most people in our society interact with games now.”

“I play a lot of games with my kids…and a lot without my kids! They love it and, as a parent, I think it’s a good idea to play with them, to make sure you’re comfortable with the content.”

Clara is also one of the growing number of women making a career in Australia’s flourishing $2.2B digital games industry. As President of Hipster Whale, she oversees one of Australia’s most successful mobile development studio and publisher, famed for producing Crossy Road, played by over 200 million people worldwide.

The growing number of women working in games development is supported by organisations like Girl Geek Academy which teaches coding and other skills designed to increase the number of females working in games and successful STEM careers. More women working in games is also propelling broader content, like Ninja Pizza Girl, a game about beating bullies and building resilience, developed by Australian Nicole Starke and her family.

The latest, greatest and emerging games from Australia and the world will all be on show during Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW), 22–29 October. The largest games event in Asia Pacific, MIGW presents a range of events for families, consumers, industry, teachers, game-players and makers.

Minister for Creative Industries and a champion of the local games industry, Martin Foley says the Victorian Government created Melbourne International Games Week to celebrate and promote Melbourne’s strength as Australia’s games capital.

“Melbourne is home to half of Australia’s digital games industry. The games we create here are exported and enjoyed globally. Our local game developers have won Oscars and BAFTAs, produced games for the likes of Disney and Nintendo, and continue to capture the imaginations of players around the world.”

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