Often ridiculed, but:

Gaming in Austria is the “industry of the future”

Screenshot of "Dungeons of Hinterberg"

(Bild: Microbird Games)

The future is digital. This is particularly true for the games industry, which has been growing for years. The Austrian scene is also contributing to this, as there are around 150 companies in Austria that are actively involved in games development. 

"The industry is a crisis winner," says Martin Filipp from the games association PGDA, looking back on the coronavirus era. During the lockdowns, gaming was a gateway to the world for many people. "Compared to other sectors, we had a distribution and sales system that allowed us to communicate directly with customers," says Filipp. And what is often forgotten: "We provided assistance - with a product that is often ridiculed and relegated to the shooter corner." The scene has long since differentiated itself, with blockbuster titles such as "GTA" as well as the many casual games on smartphones or indie titles that deliberately choose different narrative approaches.

Creatives who tell stories
The Viennese development studio Mi'pu'mi, for which Filipp works as COO and which, in addition to collaborating on major international games such as "Hitman" or "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle", has brought such detail-loving in-house productions as "The Lion's Song" or "Howl" to the market. Another example from Austria would be the very successful "Dungeons of Hinterberg" from Microbird Games (see trailer below). Here, heroes are found outside of macho stereotypes and socio-political topics are dealt with in an interactive setting. "We are creatives, trying to tell our stories and express ourselves through the medium of games. Just like a painter, a musician or a writer would do," emphasizes Filipp.

In his view, "interactivity is the factor that will define the future". This goes far beyond the pure entertainment sector. Around 80 percent of the industry is currently "popcorn and entertainment. But: 20 percent, and this proportion is growing, goes into further education, training and education." This means that learning content is increasingly being presented in an interactive, playful setting. Filipp sees great potential here, especially in the school sector. "I would be very sad if we still had lessons based on frontal teaching in ten years' time. More project-based work, collaboration and interactivity is exactly what the medium of games offers."

Upswing thanks to training
Speaking of training: In addition to the professionalization of the industry itself, the upswing is also due to the universities of applied sciences in Salzburg, Hagenberg, Graz and Vienna. "A large number of well-trained graduates are entering the market, who are also finding their way abroad," says Filipp. This was also confirmed in the most recent game development study. In addition, game developers in Austria generated a total economic turnover of 188.7 million euros last year.

The industry association PGDA (Pioneers of Game Development Austria), which was launched in 2017, aims to provide additional visibility. "The association was founded to make life easier for young people," says Filipp. Despite the positive development, the industry is not the easiest. "It's a rollercoaster ride that all media professionals are exposed to. It's not still water, it's a rollercoaster ride." Nevertheless, he can say with conviction: "This industry of the future, which is always in demand, is already here." Young, well-educated, in the middle of the digital transition - all of this applies to the gaming sector. "People are welcome to call us and talk to us," adds Filipp with a grin.

(Bild: ÖVUS)

Flood of new apps every day
The agility of game developers quickly becomes apparent on closer inspection. If you want to reach as large an audience as possible, you have to be "platform and technology agnostic" - i.e. develop for PC, consoles and mobile in equal measure. And yet the path to gamers is not an easy one. "Four-digit numbers of new apps are added to mobile stores every day. It's such a flood, there's little curation and customers can't find their way around," Filipp points out. Nevertheless, content will always be in demand. Whether it will be consumed on a smartphone, a TV or a console? "That's irrelevant because we can't say yet. Except that in ten to fifteen years it won't look like it does today."

When it comes to another topic that has recently dominated the media discourse, the game developer is more relaxed: Artificial intelligence. "It takes the human factor to create these emotional products and stories and put them into a form that is also fun to consume. In my view, that's not going to go away," says Filipp. "I don't think AI will be a factor in the structure of complex products in my lifetime or other generations any time soon." It should also be noted that the media hype surrounding ChatGPT and the like is less about classic AI and more about machine-assisted learning. "It's always mixed up. The consumer gets the Terminator fantasy from the hype, but we're actually only talking about machine learning."

"Believe in the positive"when it comes to AI
He is fundamentally in favor of a differentiated approach. "I also think it's a shame, because it should be viewed in a much more positive light - with all due caution," says Filipp. "It's a tool and we will learn to use it. It will benefit us all." You only have to look back a few years: before the introduction of the first iPhone in 2007, few people could have imagined the extent to which smartphones and their various applications would permeate everyday life. Today, the versatile helper in your pocket is a matter of course, while at the same time people fear for their jobs because of AI. "It will be somewhere in the middle. Can it go wrong and you take a wrong turn somewhere? You always can. But you can also believe in the positive and the good."