THE VIDEO GAMING INDUSTRY - IT Professionals Australia - addressing the challenges to create a fairer, more sustainable industry
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IT
Professionals
Australia
THE VIDEO
GAMING INDUSTRY
- addressing the challenges to create a fairer,
more sustainable industry
PAGE 1
Copyright© 2021 Professionals Australia
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, used or stored in any form,
especially typographically, electronically and including photocopying, without written
permission of the publisher. The use of material for private study, research or criticism is
excepted from the reservation and may be undertaken within the accepted meaning of
fair dealing. The publisher makes no representation, in any form, as to the accuracy of the
information contained in this work and cannot accept any legal responsibility for errors,
omissions or consequences of any action taken by readers.
PAGE 2
CONTENTS
WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE THE INDUSTRY FAIRER -
4
WHERE TO START?
HOW IS THE VIDEO GAMING INDUSTRY STRUCTURED? 5
SIZE AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF WORKFORCE 5
BULK OF GAMING STUDIOS 5
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT 5
ROLES THAT MAKE UP THE GAMING INDUSTRY 6
SIZE OF THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY COMPARED INTERNATIONALLY 6
GLOBAL VALUE OF INDUSTRY 6
WHAT ARE THE KEY WORKFORCE ISSUES? 7
WORKERS UNDERPAID - NOT PAID EVEN MINIMUM AWARD RATES 7
SHAM CONTRACTS 7
LACK OF JOB SECURITY 7
GRADUATE SUPPLY VS DEMAND 7
EXCESSIVE OVERTIME - UP TO 100-HOUR WEEKS 7
BURNOUT AND OVERWORK - "CHURN AND BURN" 7
ON THE SPOT SACKINGS 7
NO PROTECTION FOR WORKERS WHEN STUDIOS FAIL 7
LACK OF GENDER DIVERSITY 8
UNDER-REPRESENTATION 8
SEXUAL HARASSMENT 8
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN GAMING 8
GENDER-BASED ONLINE HATE AND TROLLING 8
LACK OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS 8
WHERE DOES PROFESSIONALS AUSTRALIA FIT IN? 9
PAGE 3
WORKING TOGETHER
TO MAKE THE INDUSTRY
FAIRER - WHERE TO START?
The video game industry is growing every year, and globally
video game sales account for more revenue than film tickets
and music sales combined (even before the COVID-19
pandemic).
North America, Europe, and North-East Asia are the centres of the industry. Australia
had a large video game industry that collapsed during the global financial crisis around
2007/8 and is slowly being rebuilt.
The industry suffers from extensive worker exploitation and needs to be unionised.
This brief issues paper aims to give an overview of the industry and the issues that
impact the gaming industry workforce. It can form the basis for an action plan to make
the industry fairer and more sustainable.
PAGE 4
HOW IS THE VIDEO GAMING
INDUSTRY STRUCTURED?
SIZE AND EMPLOYMENT STATUS
OF WORKFORCE
Roughly 1,300 full-time-equivalent workers are employed in
game development in Australia - around 900 full-time equivalent
employees - but loads of contractors and freelancers - so around
600 full-time employees.
A reduction in the size of the Australian industry further to the
GFC (2007/8) and the number of people employed in it means
there is a potential over-supply of graduates in interactive
games development.
BULK OF GAMING STUDIOS
Melbourne is the centre of the industry, followed by Sydney. The
largest studios include:
• Wargaming (NSW) - 90 workers
• Sledgehammer (Vic) - 70 workers
• League of Geeks (Vic) - 50 workers
• EA Fire Monkeys (Vic) - 50 workers
• Zero Latency VR (Vic) - 50 workers
• Mighty Kingdom (SA) - 50 workers
• Gameloft (QLD) - 50 workers
• Big Ant Studios (Vic) - 40 workers
• Immutable (NSW) - 40 workers
Most game studios have fewer than ten employees. These
studios produce “indie” games or act as contractors for larger
game companies. Small studios are occasionally extremely
profitable - e.g. Melbourne studio House House is made up of
just four people and produced the hit “Untitled Goose Game”
which sold over a million copies.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Government support for the industry is inconsistent. Some
states like NSW provide no financial support and other states
like Victoria subsidise game development from funds previously
reserved for film and television.
PAGE 5
$77B
ROLES THAT MAKE UP THE GAMING
INDUSTRY
As well as game developers and game designers, there are journalists, e-sports
professionals, PR and Marketing people and streamers and Youtubers.
2014 INTERACTIVE
SIZE OF THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GAMING INDUSTRY
COMPARED INTERNATIONALLY VALUE
$96B
Australia’s video game development industry is small compared to the world’s largest
industries, which, in order of size, are in the United States of America, Japan and
Canada.
GLOBAL VALUE OF INDUSTRY
IGEA (Interactive Games & Entertainment Association - the peak industry association 2018 INTERACTIVE
representing the voice of Australian and New Zealand companies in the computer and GAMING INDUSTRY
video games industry) - cited an estimate that placed the global value of the interactive
game industry in 2014 at approximately US$77 billion. According to IGEA, the same
VALUE
research forecasted that the value of the industry would grow to US$96 billion by 2018.
The GDAA (Game Developers’ Association of Australia) estimates the annual growth
rate for the industry as almost 10 per cent.
PAGE 6
WHAT ARE THE KEY
WORKFORCE ISSUES?
WORKERS SHAM CONTRACTS LACK OF JOB
UNDERPAID - NOT SECURITY
Game developers who are not salaried
PAID EVEN MINIMUM employees live contract to contract.
Disparity in job security across game
AWARD RATES Many freelancers and contractors have
worker roles, with developers and artists
no rights with one-sided unfair contracts.
generally safe while quality assurance
In Australia there are many more Many workers report accepting sham
testers and event organisers are laid off
workers with game design qualifications contracts. There is no conversion of
as needed - need fairer hiring practices.
or an interest in the industry than contractors to employees after a period
there are jobs available, leading to of time - need to set hourly wage floors
workers accepting poor conditions and - have national rates cards and agreed
underpayment. One in five directly contract template accepted by industry
employed workers are paid below Award and contractors to avoid race to the
rates - need steady and fair wages. bottom.
GRADUATE SUPPLY EXCESSIVE OVERTIME BURNOUT AND
VS DEMAND - UP TO 100-HOUR OVERWORK -
WEEKS “CHURN AND BURN”
Competition for jobs after graduation
with many graduates forced to work
Excessive unpaid overtime is standard Many employers have a culture of
as low-paid interns. Lack of jobs also
in the industry to ship games on time. “crunch”, meaning extended periods of
encourages graduates to seek jobs
Workers forced to deliver content in long hours - studio managers must be
overseas.
unrealistic timeframes. forced to have realistic deadlines.
ON THE SPOT NO PROTECTION FOR
SACKINGS WORKERS WHEN
STUDIOS FAIL
Contractors with no unfair dismissal
rights. The collapse of unsustainable studios
with unpaid wages outstanding is not
uncommon in the industry.
PAGE 7
LACK OF GENDER DIVERSITY LACK OF BUSINESS
MANAGEMENT SKILLS
UNDER-REPRESENTATION
Gaming startups need more than good game development
The under-representation of women in gaming industry is skills - also need product development, marketing and general
serious and unacceptable. According to the ABS, at the end business management skills.
of June 2012 only 8.7 per cent of the digital game developer
workforce was female (ABS, Film, television and digital games
2011–12, cat. 8679.0, June 2013).
While women are around 50% of players, they are severely
under-represented in games creation and design.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Some game studios have covered up sexual harassment and
assault in the workplace. Emma Kinema in the USA helped to
organize the May 2019 walkout at Riot Games over its handling
of sex discrimination.
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN GAMING
There are serious problems with gender-based violence in
video-gaming.
GENDER-BASED ONLINE HATE AND TROLLING
Online trolling of women gamers/game developers/players is a
major problem.
PAGE 8
WHERE DOES
PROFESSIONALS
AUSTRALIA FIT IN?
ABOUT PROFESSIONALS AUSTRALIA
Professionals Australia (formerly the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists
and Managers, Australia) represents over 23,000 professionals from across the
STEM professions including engineers, scientists, managers, veterinarians, surveyors,
information technology professionals and pharmacists throughout Australia.
Professionals Australia members are employed across all sectors of the Australian
economy. This includes all tiers of government and in a diverse range of industries
throughout the private and public sectors including Roads, Rail, Water, Electricity,
Information Technology, Telecommunications, Consulting Services, Laboratories,
Research, Surveying, Construction, Retail Pharmacy, Mining, Oil, Collieries and
Manufacturing.
Workers involved in game production can join Professionals Australia under our
current rules. Workers are eligible to join Professionals Australia if they have a
minimum 3-year IT degree or are employed or usually employed in a professional
position which requires the exercise of professional skill, knowledge or expertise …
as defined in the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations First Edition Major
Groups 2 (2707-11 to 2707-25).
GAME WORKERS UNITE
Game Workers Unite’s aim is to build a unionised game industry - a single union for all
developers, including programmers, artists, designers, and producers, with subgroups
within the union representing disciplines. In Australia, where the industry is smaller,
Game Workers Unite wants to include e-sports professionals and marketing staff as
well. It is part of a global organisation aiming to unite gaming workers.
Professionals Australia is committed to working with GWU to help unionise the video
gaming industry.
PAGE 9
IT
Professionals
Australia
THE VIDEO
GAMING INDUSTRY
- addressing the challenges to create a fairer,
more sustainable industry
STREET ADDRESS
152 Miller Street, West Melbourne,
Victoria, 3003, Australia
POSTAL ADDRESS
GPO Box 1272, Melbourne
Victoria 3001, Australia
TELEPHONE
1300 273 762
EMAIL
itpa@professionalsaustralia.org.au
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