Victoria’s International Games Week is back and bigger than ever before as creatives gear up to entice students into careers behind the keyboard.
Starting the first week of October, Melbourne city slickers will once again be treated to a fun-filled festival celebrating a hobby that doesn’t normally get enough love from the general public – gaming.
While the thought of gaming might still conjure images of neck-bearded nerds and raging 12-year-olds doing Fortnite dances for some, the multi-billion-dollar industry has undoubtedly taken the world by storm, selling millions of consoles and capturing the attention of Aussies young and old across the country.
I mean, who doesn’t love a few games of Mario Kart?
But while this year’s Games Week is bringing back popular showings like developer panels and gaming showcases (and even a Mario Kart tournament of their own), the Victorian Government has announced that a new symposium will be taking centre stage, enticing students to tackle a career in the growing gaming sector.
Educational pathway to a career in gaming
Taking place at Fed Square’s The Edge across 3-4 October, day one will focus on the secondary school sector with talks, panels and mentoring events aimed at teachers, career counsellors, students, parents or anyone wanting to find out more about pursuing a games career.
Here, students will hear from UK games whiz George Osborn, a leading expert in the intersection between video games and the wider world, about how games are being used for social good and the unseen ways that video games influence the modern world: from US presidential elections to competition law to the fight against the climate crisis.
Schools can also attend a roundtable mentoring session, where game designers and developers at various stages of their careers share their professional journeys and the ‘things they wish they knew in high school’ with those looking to enter the industry.
Growing the gaming workforce
Day two at ACMI will invite the broader industry to engage with tertiary institutes to talk about growing the workforce and fostering the next generation of talent and engage in what the creators are calling the ‘Great Debate’ about whether working in games is a ‘real job’.
Industry leaders will be joined on stage by keynote speaker and gaming artist Dries Deryckere, joining via live stream from Denmark, as they tackle the global trends in games education and how students can train for a job that “doesn’t exist”.
With experts diving into all facets of the industry, from VFX, animation, artificial intelligence, games design, music composition, screenwriting, programming and more, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll says the event is a chance for students to peek behind the curtain of some of their favourite games.
“We are thrilled to back this symposium and we encourage students, educators and anyone curious about a career in the games industry to take advantage of this free and inspiring event,” says Carroll.
There will also be other panels and talks from local speakers, including the team from career pathways organisation Year13, experts from Australia’s biggest games studio Playside Studios and Massive Monster, creators of the game Cult of the Lamb, with more to be announced soon.
And what is a gaming symposium without a hackathon for students to test their coding mettle?
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said the city was proud to be backing the digital games industry as it goes from “strength to strength”.
“Victoria is Australia’s digital games leader and as the global digital games industry continues to expand this symposium will ensure we remain at the forefront as a place that trains, fosters and retains the next generation of highly skilled, industry-ready games leaders,” Brooks says.
“I can’t wait to see games fans once again ‘power up’ for a brilliant week of events, education and fun!”
