Boom times for budding game developers

Lia Timson
Thursday, 10 April 2008 09:13

IT People - Enterprise

“We’re growing but the biggest challenge is to get the skills. There’s competing demand from industry and commercial sectors. Our challenge is to make sure we provide good salaries and good working conditions.”
He said a senior programmer with solid proven experience could earn between $80,000 and $90,000 a year in digital game development.

Renne Ataya, recruitment consultant with Sinclair Consulting in Sydney, is currently looking to fill game development jobs. She agrees the sector is growing.

“There’s been a substantial amount of growth over the last year and a half with a few companies in particular doing very well. There’s quite a demand for technical skills in the area and a lot of room for new recruits,” Ataya says.

Developer TeamBondi currently has more than 13 vacancies in its Ultimo studio in Sydney, while Canberra-based online multi-player game developer BigWorld is also hiring professionals including technical artists, software and support engineers.

Krome Studios, considered the largest developer in Australia, currently has multiple vacancies in its Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne offices.

Tonia Velasco, sales and marketing manager at family game developer and distributor Mindscape said the demand is only likely to grow.

“The gaming industry is now the biggest category in entertainment, bigger than movies, and because of that it is always looking for employees,” Velasco said.

The ABS report Digital Game Development Services, Australia, 2006-07 also revealed the majority of employed developers were male (90%). Artists and animators represented 34% and programmers 64% of total employment respectively.