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Here is my games industry reporting wrap of 2020 It's been a wild year, so I thought I'd summarise the big policy changes & industry movements in the Australian games industry in 2020. This is by no means a complete list, but I think it's a good overview!
Let's goooooo
April: GDAA and IGEA merge, creating an interstate games industry advocacy group - a great step forward in representing the needs of an industry that has been is atomised by reliance on state-funding. https://www.screenhub.com.au/news-article/news/digital/jini-maxwell/gdaa-and-igea-merge-to-support-australian-game-development-260233
May: @IGEA released their stats on how the pandemic was affecting local game developers; I unpacked them here, and also talked to researcher @BRKeogh about his thoughts: https://www.screenhub.com.au/news-article/features/covid-19-screen/jini-maxwell/how-has-covid-19-affected-the-australian-games-industry-260356
June: the South Australian Marshall Government announced a 10% rebate for game development - a national first! ( https://www.screenhub.com.au/news-article/news/policy/jini-maxwell/sa-announces-groundbreaking-rebate-for-games-industry-260603);
I had a chat to the lovely @V_garpend, who oversaw the rebate's implementation, about what rebates like these can (and can't!) do:
I had a chat to the lovely @V_garpend, who oversaw the rebate's implementation, about what rebates like these can (and can't!) do:
Also June: Labor MPs @TimWattsMP and @ClareONeilMP stream @smgstudio's Moving Out and fielded questions from the local industry; Watts says the games industry shouldn't have to 'bashing down doors' to have a seat at the policy-making table https://www.screenhub.com.au/news-article/news/digital/jini-maxwell/im-serious-about-the-games-industry-two-labor-mps-livestream-games-and-talk-business-260576
July: based on IGEA submission, a Committee on Trade and Investment recommend a federal tax offset for videogame development, but don't take up IGEA's recommendation for federal funding. Neither an offset nor funding were reflected in the federal budget https://www.screenhub.com.au/news-article/news/digital/jini-maxwell/parliamentary-inquiry-recommends-federal-tax-offset-for-games-development-260667
Big one: The Depts. of Home Affairs, Employment, and the ABS introduce 47/ new game dev-specific visa codes for game developers migrating to Australia for work. This will also affect how game dev jobs are documented by the ABS. IGEA-led change - huge win. https://www.screenhub.com.au/news-article/news/digital/jini-maxwell/igea-overhauls-talent-visas-proposes-labour-agreement-for-australian-game-dev-260927
IGEA also propose a labour agreement that would allow a broader range of game developers to apply for permanent residency on the basis of their jobs (also outlined in the above article) - currently much easier for programmers than, say, animators, level designers, etc.
For a couple of months here my reporting was more limited, because I was assigned on a non-writing project at SH, so apologies if I post links resources, not articles. 
August: IGEA make one of the only somewhat positive submissions on the Jobs Ready Graduates Package, despite the fact that many games degrees fall under arts, & the cuts affect unis' overall funding, which falls on all students & staff. Submission here: https://igea.net/2020/08/igea-submission-to-higher-education-reform-consultation/
September, LNP Senator @SenatorMcGrath gave a speech in Parliament supporting a 30% federal offset for videogame development. Again, I couldn't report on it because I was on another project, but you can watch here: https://twitter.com/SenatorMcGrath/status/1301306688310452226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1301306688310452226%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.screenhub.com.au%2Fnews-article%2Fnews%2Fdigital%2Fjini-maxwell%2Ffirst-look-at-the-parliamentary-friends-of-video-games-261560
https://twitter.com/SenatorMcGrath/status/1301306688310452226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1301306688310452226%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.screenhub.com.au%2Fnews-article%2Fnews%2Fdigital%2Fjini-maxwell%2Ffirst-look-at-the-parliamentary-friends-of-video-games-261560
December: Parliamentary Friends of Video Games is established! The initiative is bipartisan, co-chaired by @SenatorMcGrath and @TimWattsMP. The aim is to introduce parliamentarians the creativity of games, and give the industry a platform within parliament https://www.screenhub.com.au/news-article/news/digital/jini-maxwell/first-look-at-the-parliamentary-friends-of-video-games-261560
This was the first year I've done games industry reporting, and I loved it! I'll do another wrap of more creative pieces I've written too, but I thought a straight-up news wrap might be useful. Looking forward to a 2021 full of reports to pore over and numbers to crunch. <3
