The state of the game industry in Australia

After the COVID-19 pandemic began, nothing was as it had been. Reports of this kind were not spared the virus's effects either. All the figures that appeared in previous reports, even if close to the figures in the current report, offer us different interpretations. Video games in this grim period were among the most important social connectors and ways of spending time.

Early critics of video games called these games solitary activities and dismissed them. But their one-dimensional view had failed to see the most basic characteristic of any popular medium: the ability to share experiences and stories that are not real and do not exist in the real world. Imagine if the pandemic had happened in that era: people who played games would have called each other by phone to stay in touch and shared their notes and experiences with one another.

But years have passed since those early days, and games no longer need a television and a console and bulky, expensive equipment to run. Video games have made their way onto our most accessible tools, namely mobile phones. This has made it possible, in this global pandemic, to easily play with friends and various people and to connect with them through games. In this report, a little has been reduced from the statistics section, and some has been added to the stories of people talking about their interaction with games during the pandemic. These stories have arisen from the very connections formed in games.

This report examines video game figures in Australia in 2022. Another aspect the report examines is how video games have connected people and how people themselves have formed a bond with games.

Statistics and material examined in more detail in the report:

• Video game figures in households
• Number and type of devices used for playing
• Importance of internet bandwidth in the amount of play
• Player profile statistics (age, gender)
• Players' play time
• Impact of the pandemic on video games
• Examination of players' reasons for playing
• Popularity of different game genres
• Impact of games on health
• Statistics on where and when players play
• Examination of video games in households
• Examination of the relationship between games and personal growth
• Examination of games from the perspective of cultural issues
• Examination of video games from an economic perspective