Get Into Games expo draws Ballarat students

Students from regional Victoria got to rub shoulders with leading game developers yesterday, hoping to get a sneak peek into the world of electronic game production at the Get into Games expo.

Hosted by Ballarat ICT Limited at the Mining Exchange and in it’s fifth year, the expo educated teachers and students from 20 schools about the promising careers available in game development.

Project manager Martin Wilkes said most people had the wrong idea of game development.

“It’s not purely about maths. There’s still a perception that video games is programming, programming, programming,” Mr Wilkes said.

“The video game industry is now the largest entertainment industry.”

As a result, there are jobs in a range of professions, such as marketing, public relations, sales and project managment, and it’s bringing in the big bucks.

“As a 20-year-old, you can earn $80,000,” Mr Wilkes said.