Whiley and Lancman will readily admit the games development industry business was essentially started by IT enthusiasts, often working from home.
"As long as you could afford a computer you could get into the game industry," says Whiley. "But there was never any guarantee of success, a lot of companies that appeared during the eighties couldn't make it through the long haul."
The third party in this great games developer triumvirate would have to be John DeMargheriti, CEO of Microforte. Like SSG and Beam International, Microforte had its origins when DeMargheriti teamed up with a mate and started taking a professional interest in their hobby.
However, after nearly two decades in the industry one of DeMargheriti's overriding concerns is establishing professionalism within the industry, and raising the profile of Australian talent on the world stage.
"We may as well be in the Antarctic so far as many of the publishers are concerned," DeMargheritisays. "It is fundamental for us to work together in this industry to establish a pool of talent in Australia, so that it becomes recognised as a place to do business."
To this end DeMargheriti, teamed up with other industry representatives to establish the Games Developers Association of Australia (GDAA), of with Lancman is now the president. The GDAA is designed as a professional grouping of games producers charged with raising the profile of the industry, lobbying government on behalf of the sector, and increasing training and education opportunities.
DeMargheriti also helped to establish the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) in Canberra.
"Over the past 6 years we have trained 600 - 700 people, many of whom went into the industry in Australia either to found or work for games developers locally," DeMargheriti says. "Since we started we have seen a sort of mushroom effect as ex-students add to the locally available talent pool, and even go on to found their own companies."
Ian Gibson, current head of school, says the Austudy approved course prepares students for a career in 3D animation and programming, whether that be in games development or advertising, film or television. The full three-year course is divided into either the programming or design streams, and is open to everyone from post-graduates mathematicians, to high-school graduates with a talent for graphic design.
"The programmers are snapped up quite quickly out of the course, it may take a little more effort for some of the designers - they often have to be prepared to relocate, but there is plenty of work if they are prepared to go to it, rather than expect the work to come to them," Gibson says.
While it may sound like fun and games to many, Gibson says the course includes a business component, as well as the opportunity for programmers to work with designers on a real time project, the results of which are displayed on the institute's Web site.
However, it is not just graduates from this and other games developer courses who are contributing to growth in the sector. Increasing prevalent are business software developers, and managers looking to embrace opportunities they have seen in the sector.
Founded in 1999, Brisbane based Evolution Games is typical of a new wave of Australian games developers combining industry enthusiasm with business savvy. Evolution CEO Justin Green came into the industry from what he describes as a typical business background, having studies finance and accounting and gained initial experience in the business software sector.
"I started the business with my flatmate, Sean Hammond," Green said. "He was already involved in games programming, and we saw an opportunity to combine our skills."
Beginning the project in June 1999, by September the microteam of eight had managed to create a 20 min Web release of their first game, which caught the eye of a flotilla of publishers.
"The publishers take care of marketing the finished product to the public," Green said. "But we need to have a constant focus on marketing our team and skills, you need to keep a high profile in this business otherwise you will be overlooked."
Currently working with a team of 25, 21 of which are directly involved in creating the games themselves Green is fairly enthusiastic about growth opportunities in the sector. However, he is keeping a close reign on excess enthusiasm.
"It is great to work with such creative people, you get a real buss when you focus test the product with a bunch of kids," Green says. "IT is vary tempting just to grow rapidly, but you can bloat too quickly by taking on too many projects, we are going for a slower approach."
Like most in the industry Green concedes that the barriers to entry are excessively high at present, given the sheer manpower that goes into games for the latest platforms. However, through the GDAA, Lancman believes the industry will be able to improve its standing globally, and even attract venture capital to the sector.
