Speaking on radio station 3RRR (as reported by ITWire), Crago says that lack of an R18+ category in our classification system is the biggest problem.

“It’s ridiculous because it assumes that games are fundamentally different to film and outrageous in that it assumes that adults shouldn’t be allowed to access adult content in video games.

“And of course it is a fundamentally broken system in that games that should be classified R being shoehorned into the [MA 15+] classification, which means you get a 16 or 15 year old, who really shouldn’t be able to play a particular type of game actually able to play that game, under the age of 18.”

Crago says he believes the system will eventually change and he is counting the days until common sense prevails.

“We need some form of classification system don’t we? But it needs to be relevant; it needs to move with the times. It needs to recognise that people’s leisure habits change, and people that are accessing content evolve, and we are looking at a video game industry that is very different from what it was twenty years ago.”

Crago’s comment come in the same week we saw yet another game refused classification. Risen, a fantasy RPG from German developer Piranhan Bytes, was seen to include “sexual activity and drug use related to incentives or rewards.” Such content is beyond the guidelines of the MA15+ category, currently the highest rating allowed in Australia. However, Risen has been classified and will be widely available in all other major gaming markets throughout the world.

GDAA President, Australia’s game classification system is a joke [ITWire]

Convened by the Game Developers Association of Australia, Game Connect: Asia Pacific is the premier conference, exhibition and networking event for the Asia Pacific games industry. This year it moves to Melbourne after last year being held in Brisbane.

Tom Crago, head of the GDAA, says:

“We are thrilled that this year GCAP returns to Melbourne and will be held in a spectacular new venue. We have every intention of making this the biggest and best game development conference ever held in this region and look forward to welcoming delegates from all around the world to join us in Melbourne this December.

“Last year’s event in Brisbane was a huge success and we are very confident of growing this event further in 2009. Our industry is in the midst of a very dynamic period right now and we feel sure that GCAP 09 will not only have the development community talking, but will lead to the creation of new ideas and collaborations.”

The theme of this year’s conference is: Create Innovate Thrive. Topics to be discussed by clever development people during GCAP 09 include “core games, online, mobile, casual and serious games, along with new developments in art, technology and design.”

Interestingly, Epic Games has already signed on as a sponsor, so maybe there’s a hint as to which high-profile international developer may be speaking at the event.

The conference will be held at Melbourne’s Crown Promenade Hotel from December 6-8.

For further information about the conference or to register interest as a conference speaker visit www.gameconnectap.com.

Game Connect: Asia Pacific [official site]

Last Wednesday we asked you to send us your questions for Tom, who is not only the head of the GDAA but also of Melbourne studio Tantalus. Tom’s kindly given his time to answer your questions and I hope you find his responses as informative as I did.

Also, a quick thanks to everyone who submitted a question and stay tuned for the next Question Time candidate later today…

Here’s your interview with Tom Crago:

TSM
Is is true that the GDAA was formed in Australia to create a salary cap situation for between key game development studios in both Melbourne and Brisbane?

Wow, I haven’t heard that one before! But I do love a good conspiracy theory and the prospect of sitting, cloaked, in a large stone room with a group of game industry CEO’s, collectively pulling the strings of the local industry is attractive indeed. Look, this is certainly not the case… There is no agreement between any Australian development studios in relation to salaries. In fact, we actively compete for talent. At Tantalus we opened a studio in Brisbane specifically to get access to programmers, artists and designers working in that city. There’s a lot of movement of employees between studios in Australia.

Kirby
How do you get into the games industry in Australia?

These days you really need to have dome some sort of games-specific study once you complete high school. There are a lot of courses offered at universities, and other tertiary institutions. You need to get one of these courses under your belt, and be up towards the top of the class. Then, most importantly, you have to have a very impressive body of work that you can show a prospective employer. If you’re an artist, this means a kick-ass show reel. If you’re a programmer, you need a game or engine demo that you created or worked on. And if you’re a game designer you need to be a able to show a bunch of paper design overviews that you’ve created. After that, it’s a matter of doing well at the interview and in any tests or trials that your employer might set you. It has to be said: it’s a tough industry to get into. It’s ultra competitive, but once you’re in it’s the best job in the world.

ROM
How do you feel about the stupidity of the “Ratings” system for games? Do you think we will ever see a system introduced that is workable and concrete across all media?

Yeah well I think we all know it’s a joke here in Australia… It certainly will change, it’s just a matter of when. I’d like to think it will happen in the next 5 years.

truncheon
What is our role in the industry? What is our biggest export do you think?

We do pretty well here in Australia. We’re known for working on a wide variety of titles, across a range of platforms. We do a lot of big, licensed titles (Star Wars, SpongeBob, Cars) but we’ve also had success with original titles. de Blob and the Puzzle Quest games are a couple of recent examples of Australian developed games that have been extremely successful. You can go as far back as Dark Reign from Auran and Powerslide from Ratbag for evidence of our ability to successfully bring original titles to market. It’s hard to say what’s the most successful Australian developed game of all time… I tend to claim our game Pony Friends on the DS, which has now sold more than a million copies. Again, it was an original title.

michele
I’m currently studying game design at RMIT and I was hoping for some advice regarding what steps I can take now to help secure me a job in the future. Currently, my peers and I are all planning to search for jobs overseas as most graduates we speak to complain they’re stuck making phone games etc. What’s in store for the Australian game market, and should we stick around?

The Australian game development industry remains healthy and I know there a number of companies hiring. But of course the great thing about being a game developer is that you can work anywhere in the world. So for sure, all graduates should look at options overseas. A lot depends, of course, on the type of game you want to work on, and there’s a sense in which you have to keep your expectations realistic, especially initially. No love for mobile phone games? That’s a shame! We have some of the best mobile developers in the world here in Australia.

Ayrton Coll
Australians buy and play plenty of games, but do you think that until we start producing at the same levels as the U.S, Europe and Japan, the government and Australian culture in general (being primarily rooted in sport/cars/outdoors etc.) won’t take them as seriously?

Well I think we do produce games at that level… but it’s maybe true that we haven’t yet had the global smash hit title that would really put us on the map. Maybe that would help with the Government. But I think it’s more a case of Governments everywhere catching up with the fact that games are now right up there with film in terms of their contribution to the cultural and leisure landscape.

DavidR
I’d like to know what exactly some of the hurdles are when it comes to licensing agreements in Australia? Certain games are delayed or distributed unevenly in this country (Rock Band etc) and I hear responses like ”couldn’t get licensing” or “it’s to do with licensing”. I understand songs need to be licensed but I think people would enjoy hearing a clear definition as to why it is sometimes difficult? Are there games that are harder to license than others? How does it affect non-music based games?

This is probably more a question for a publisher than a developer. We actually don’t deal with licensing issues (nor are we involved in sales or distribution.) At Tantalus when, for example, we work on a Cars game, all the licensing issues are dealt with by Pixar (License owner) and THQ (Publisher). I could only speculate that for music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, they actually need to put in place separate agreements in each territory, which would obviously be time consuming. Not that that’s much consolation when you’re waiting for a game that you know was released in America months ago!

James Murchison
Why don’t Australian made games advertise on their boxes that they are Australian made? I can understand not doing so in the USA, but here in Australia the packaging should have an Australian Made logo.

Yeah I think that’s a great idea. The problem again, though, is that this is something controlled by the publisher. And the boxes are all manufactured off shore. Maybe we could look at getting a sticker attached to the boxes, in the local distribution warehouses. I’d love to see it happen.

stalker
How should the Australian industry position itself as more and more global publishers look to outsource production to Asia and Eastern Europe? How much of a challenge to our industry do you think this is?

Great question, and for sure it’s a huge challenge. We can’t be as cheap as Asia, so we clearly need to be better. We have to have a quality proposition that far surpasses any of the low cost options. We also need to be more reliable, easier to work with, and head and shoulders above our competition in terms of our creative spark and innovation. It’s a battle, especially here on the other side of the world, but we continue to punch well above our weight division.

Here’s how Question Time works: you come up with the questions and a games industry luminary will answer them. Every Wednesday we’ll have a new interviewee for you and a new batch of answers.

Today, it’s the turn of Tom Crago. Tom wears two industry hats: one as the president of the Game Developers’ Association of Australia and one as the CEO of Melbourne-based developer Tantalus.

So if you’ve got any question about the games industry in Australia, Tom is the right person to ask.

Post your question for Tom in the comments below. I’ll choose the best ones for Tom to answer next week. You’ve got until the end of the day to get your questions in.

Whoa, this all sounds rather familiar. Unfortunately, in the chaos of E3, this edition of Question Time kinda fell into the cracks. So we’re giving you a second chance. Anyone who asked a question in the original post, you’re already in the running. Everyone else, add your questions below…

Here’s how Question Time works: you come up with the questions and a games industry luminary will answer them. Every Wednesday we’ll have a new interviewee for you and a new batch of answers.

Today, it’s the turn of Tom Crago. Tom wears two industry hats: one as the president of the Game Developers’ Association of Australia and one as the CEO of Melbourne-based developer Tantalus.

So if you’ve got any question about the games industry in Australia, Tom is the right person to ask.

Post your question for Tom in the comments below. I’ll choose the best ones for Tom to answer next week. You’ve got until the end of the day to get your questions in.

Entries close on October 22, so you have over a month to get yourself sorted – just don’t leave it too long. The finalists will be announced and contacted in November, and must be prepared to make a trip to Brisbane for Game Connect 2008.

Press release with all the details, after the jump.

INDEPENDENT GAME AWARDS 2008

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

CATEGORIES
* Best Unsigned Game (Professional)
* Best Unsigned Game (Indie)

DECISION
This year, the winners of these categories will be determined by an expert panel, to be convened at Game Connect Asia Pacific, to be held at the Brisbane Hilton from 19-22 November 2008.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
* Only games developed in Australia and New Zealand are eligible.
* Games must be unreleased and unattached to a publisher as at 22 October 2008.
* To be eligible for the Indie category, the development team must not have received significant funding or payment for the production of the game.
* Selection committee members shall have no pecuniary or other interest in a nominee, or if so will disclose this interest and abstain from any votes.
* Nominations can be made by any resident of Australia / New Zealand.

NOMINATIONS
* Developers must submit 3 copies of games and any accompanying materials, all clearly labelled, by COB Wednesday 22 October 2008, to: Attn: Mike McNabb, GDAA, Level 8, 14 Queens Road, MELBOURNE VIC 3004.
* Games that are works-in-progress at the nomination date but planned for completion by the exhibition date will be considered by the selection committee if they are accompanied by a brief (max. 1 page) development schedule which outlines how they will be practically completed. A copy of the schedule should be included with each copy of the game.
* Entries will not be returned.

SELECTION
* A maximum of six games will be selected for exhibition at the conference, including up to three games in the Indie category and up to three games in the Professional category. These numbers may vary at the Selection Committee’s discretion based on the number and quality of nominations received.
* At the Selection Committee’s discretion, the Indie and Professional categories may be combined.
* The Selection Committee will notify developers of their decision by Monday 10 November 2008.

EXHIBITION
* All games short-listed for eligibility in the categories of Award for Best Unsigned Game (Professional) or Award for Best Unsigned Game (Indie) will be on display during the conference.
* All nominees must be willing to supply and set up their own computer hardware and software for demonstration in the Trade Expo area during the exhibition.
* A maximum of two computers are allowed per team and a maximum of one trestle table and two chairs will be provided.
* We recommend that equipment be supervised at all times.
* Entries for this category which are not in a playable format at the commencement of the GCAP Expo will not be accepted.
* Finalists will be advised of set-up and pack-down times.
* Entry to the Expo hall will be free of charge to finalists.

The insider’s dismissal of this goal was somewhat cold. “The problem with the games industry in this country,” the insider said “is that it is full of many small studios that should be left on their own to see who survives”.

Obviously, GDAA prez and Tantalus CEO Tom Crago wasn’t going to have any of it:

“I’m a big fan of Australian films, and absolutely believe that our film industry should be supported by the Australian Government. It’s important to understand, though, that without that support, the industry would not exist in anything like the form that it exists today. To that end, it’s a bit rich for the film industry to say that games should go it alone.

I could quote a load of other insightful morsels, but you’re better off reading the original piece… if you can stomach the the view of the film “insider”.

Film Industry to Games Industry; “Stop whinging” [iTWire, via Tsumea]

While Crago covers ground we’ve talked about before, he still makes a compelling argument, and provides something most of us cannot – the point of view of a developer. From the piece:

As game developers, we are trying to make games that provide entertainment to players of all ages. Video games are not going to turn your children into criminals. They are, in fact, the modern face of the entertainment industry, and something that we in Australia are very good at producing.

The focus of this debate should be upon how the Australian classification system can best give adults the information they need to chose video game content for themselves and their children, without burdening our country with unjustified and draconian censorship to the amusement and pity of the rest of the world.

I think the world alternates between pitying and mocking, but any attention is good attention, right?

Unlike a specialist blog such as Kotaku AU, the ABC site attracts a range of personalities. Even so, most of the comments to the piece are positive, though I couldn’t help but notice this rather, well, insane post:

As far as I am concerned, many games are moronic, violent and contain puerile, infantile sexual fantasies. Sure they are not just for kids – many kids I know are mature enough to realise computer games serve a purpose in childhhod [sic] and adolescence and do not maintain this interest as adults.

So, does this go for the thousands of adults around the world that actually make games too? Can’t imagine they’d be working in the industry if they didn’t have an interest!

Alas, this is the sort of mindset we’re dealing with folks.

Banned: the absurdity of Australia’s game rating regime [ABC] [Pic]

The GDAA has been very active of late, its most recent move an alliance with the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia on the issues of classification and tax consessions.

But that’s not all the organisation has been up to, so I threw a few questions Crago’s way. He was more than happy to fill in the blanks, and on a few occasions, colour the blanks with green and pink highlighter.Kotaku AU: Greg Bondar recently resigned as CEO of the GDAA. Who is currently handling CEO responsibilities, and when do you believe a permanent replacement will be found for the position?
Tom Crago: For the past few months we’ve had Mike McNabb on board in a full time capacity as COO. Mike has absorbed all of the CEO’s responsibilities, and of course the Board is working a little harder to ensure that the GDAA is flying the flag for the local industry. We will look at appointing a CEO later this year or early next year.

Kotaku AU: Is Game Connect still full steam ahead? Can you tell us what the GDAA has planned for the event?
Tom Crago: Absolutely full steam ahead. There are some details up on the site at present (www.gameconnectap.com) with more to be announced soon. Primarily, this event is about bringing the local development community together. We also try to bring in a number of international speakers to talk about their experiences working on big titles. Another component is the annual GDAA Awards, which recognise the best and brightest from the Australian industry.

Kotaku AU: How will Game Connect 08 improve on last year’s event?
Tom Crago: Naturally we’re hoping to make it bigger and better (as opposed to worse and smaller). I guess the key areas here are the speakers, in terms of both depth and quality. More details will be revealed in the next couple of months. We’re calling for abstracts at present, in fact, and anyone interested should hit the website.

Kotaku AU: What are the GDAA’s priorities at the moment?
Tom Crago: We have six key priorities:
• Promoting the Australian game development industry here and overseas
• Running our national developer conference, Game Connect: Asia Pacific
• Lobbying Federal and State Governments for a better deal for our industry
• Addressing the skills shortage by working with industry and educational institutions
• Providing a voice for our industry in the local and international media
• Arranging for participation and representation at international trade shows

Kotaku AU: What has the GDAA achieved in the last 12 months?
Tom Crago: I’d like to think we’ve kicked a couple of goals in each of those key strategic areas. Obviously the push for a better deal from the Federal Government has been a big priority, and we’ve seen some steady progress there. We also ran a very successful event at GDC in San Francisco. It really is the case that, internationally, Australian game developers are held in higher regard than ever before. That’s a good indication that the GDAA is functioning well as the peak industry body.

Kotaku AU: What avenues do developers have to communicate with the GDAA? What issues does the organisation help with on a day-to-day basis?
Tom Crago: Any member of the GDAA can call me any day of the week! We field a whole range of enquiries, and try to offer help and support both to developers, and to people outside the industry. In a typical week we will be contacted by media outlets, government, and educational institutions, in addition to game developers. There’s a lot of interest in video games. We try to put up a wide array of relevant information on our website, which is a pretty good first port of call.

Kotaku AU: We recently heard that the IEAA and GDAA are working together on both tax and classification issues. How is the GDAA assisting the IEAA with classification, and the IEAA helping the GDAA with tax concessions?
Tom Crago: We’re really glad to be working with the IEAA on a bunch of issues that impact upon both developers and publishers. They support our call for the extension of the tax offset, and we’re right behind their push for an overhaul of the classification system. Of course, we’re both on the same page in terms of stamping out piracy.

Kotaku AU: What progress has been made on the tax concession front? Do you believe we’ll see something put into effect before the end of the year?
Tom Crago: Our goal is to make it into the next budget. We’re sitting down with Government in August to take the next steps towards that goal. There is still a long way to go, but we’re hopeful common sense will prevail, and that video games will take its place alongside film and television as a legitimate screen art.

Kotaku AU: What barriers have prevented the industry from receiving financial support from the government?
Tom Crago: Well it’s fair to say the previous government didn’t have a lot of time for video games. I don’t think they recognised just how many Australians were playing games, and just how mainstream an activity it had become. It seemed a fairly antiquated mentality, which is something we come up against a lot. I see a lot of jaws drop when I tell people that nearly 80% of Australian households have a device for playing games, and that the average age of Australian gamers is 28. And that’s before you tell them that 41% of gamers are female. Gradually, these barriers are being broken down, and I’m hopeful the new Government will have a more up to date perspective. We have our fingers crossed.

Kotaku AU: Are there any issues facing the games industry in Australia at present that you feel haven’t received enough attention, such as employment opportunities, skill demand, etc?
Tom Crago: The skills shortage is the big one. All the major companies are looking for people, and we’re just not finding enough of them in Australia. I’m really hoping that will change. The strong Australian dollar is also a curse for us, as an entirely export-focussed industry. Of course, a near total lack of support from the Federal Government is a factor, but we’re doing what we can to address that. The games business is also intensely competitive and hit driven. To that end, the biggest challenge we all face is ensuring we continue to make games that sell well and that meet the quality standards that gamers demand.

Kotaku AU: Do you have any advice for games developers in Australia? For example, what they should be thinking about in the next 12 months?
Tom Crago: I think all our developers are big and bad enough not to need to take advice from me ;) In terms of general trends, though… who knows? Will the Wii continue to dominate, or will it be Sony’s Xmas? Will mobile finally hit its stride, and what will happen more generally in the handheld space? What about the rise of so called ‘casual games’? So many possibilities, which of course is one of the cool things about being in such a dynamic industry.

For now, Bondar will be moving into consulting, which he says offers less reliable, but better, pay. It was this opportunity, and a desire to “focus his energies elsewhere”, that prompted Bondar’s decision, though he did acknowledge that recent events played a minor role. He’s also wrapping up a short-term project for a third-party.

While Bondar was unsure of who would replace him as CEO, he did confirm that president Tom Crago will handle his duties in the interim.

Finally, I asked Bondar to reflect on the changes the GDAA underwent and what it achieved during his 18-month stint. Here’s what he had to say:

It is always difficult to try and highlight the achievements as a lot of these were ‘in-house’ so to speak – such as re-writing the GDAA Constitution; forming functional committees and starting up professional training etc. However, I think our achievements were:

1. Tax Breaks – we are now right and squarely in front of Government on this issue and they are now starting to act – wait for a soon to be made announcement,
2. Stronger relationships with key industry bodies such as IEAA and AIMIA,
3. A more international focus with the GDAA brand being more recognisble, and
4. A more commercial and profitable GCAP conference

No doubt people [will] have their own views on these.

“Soon to be made announcement” about a tax rebate for local developers? I don’t know about anyone else, but that sounds like a step forward to me.

Greg Bondar Resigns As GDAA CEO [Kotaku AU]