CODE news The latest on establishing New Zealand’s Centre of Digital Excellence – April 2020

Moving forward in challenging times As a result of the COVID-19 situation, much has changed for About CODE everyone since the Government announced funding for CODE In October last year, the New in October last year. There are significant new challenges to be Zealand Government agreed faced and the game development industry won’t be unaffected to invest $10 million from the by these. Provincial Growth Fund into While we are facing new challenges, the industry is relatively developing a Centre of Digital resilient and there is much to be optimistic about, which is Excellence (CODE) in Dunedin. reflected in the following articles: CODE’s ambition is to help create a $1 billion https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-09-covid-19- development industry in New the-state-of-the-games-industry Zealand within ten years. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-09-the-games- Dunedin will act as a hub from industry-must-protect-its-vulnerable-businesses which a supporting ecosystem for As the situation unfolds, we know that CODE’s role in the game development industry supporting the local and national economy will be more can be developed. important than ever. CODE’s objectives are focused on There are many opportunities within the industry and scope enabling and supporting: for it to make a contribution both economically and socially, • improved perceptions including through the development of serious games – with of gaming and game those supporting health and education especially relevant right development now. • new industry education, skills As an example, the World Health Organisation has recently and training pathways collaborated with the international to • more diversity in the sector – create #PlayApartTogether, a campaign to encourage healthy notably greater inclusion of physical distancing and other health measures during the Māori and women COVID-19 crisis. • national and global It’s also worth highlighting that some of the technologies partnerships that grow our being used for people to work and study remotely during digital capacity and knowledge the COVID-19 lockdown - such as chat room Slack - had their • access to national and global origins in the game development industry, industry experts During this lockdown period the CODE establishment team, • grants and contestable funding led by Enterprise Dunedin, continues to focus on getting for product development CODE’s supporting structure in place – including the legal • new employment opportunities entity and office location – while doing work to bring forward • Games for Health development the timing of some key initiatives, such as grants, to help support local game developers and supporting industries as Dunedin City Council’s soon as possible. Economic Development Unit, Enterprise Dunedin, is leading And thanks to digital technology and Dunedin’s GigCity the establishment of CODE in connectivity, we’re able to continue building the local, national partnership with a Working and international relationships and ecosystem that will support Group comprising representatives CODE’s success – albeit with some creative juggling and at a from Ngāi Tahu, the game different pace. development industry, and the Overall, despite current events and challenges, our national education and health sectors. and international stakeholders’ appetite for collaboration with CODE remains strong, and as a team, we remain optimistic about the future of game development in New Zealand and CODE’s ability to support this. Building foundations inspiring, and for leading collaboration and change, along with a deep knowledge of the game Since CODE was announced in October last year, development industry, and the ability to recognise the CODE establishment team have been doing and pursue opportunities. the work needed to develop a solid framework to Pre-COVID-19, our plan was to advertise the role support CODE over the coming years. locally and internationally through a variety of channels during April. However, with the current situation, there are challenges with this and we’re Creating community looking at interim options to tide us over until a full CODE is fundamentally about people. Its success recruitment process can be undertaken. We’ll keep will depend on a large and diverse range of people you posted on the outcome. connecting and collaborating over a long period of time. We’re lucky that people working well together is Finding new pathways one of Dunedin’s strengths and a key reason why The game development sector offers diverse the Government chose to base CODE here. employment opportunities for a variety of talents. One of CODE’s main objectives is to ensure there This means we’ve been engaging with a lot is an equally diverse range of pathways into the of people in recent months – both locally and industry that can cater for both learner and industry internationally – to start building CODE’s ecosystem. needs. Much of the discussion has centred around We are currently working with both national creating new education and training pathways and international stakeholders to look at ways into the game development industry and building of developing existing education and training strong and productive relationships with local and programmes to meet these needs, while also international industry experts who are keen to work fostering new, complementary pathways. Of note with CODE. is the work we’ve been doing with Professor Gregor White, Dean of Abertay University’s School of Design and Informatics in Dundee, Scotland and a Ticking legal boxes Co-Director of InGAME: Innovation for Games and During the last few months, the team have been Media Enterprise. Being able to tap into Gregor’s working through options and seeking advice from experience in curriculum development and the legal experts on the best way to structure CODE as wider game development industry is of huge value an entity. This is another factor critical to CODE’s for CODE. success. The structure we land on needs to be fit for purpose and robust, with enough flexibility The role of Māori involvement in the industry and to respond to the changing needs of the game Māori gaming products are a particular focus for development industry – which is why we’re taking CODE. An online hui, organised in collaboration the time to get it right. with and hosted by ngā rūnaka o Puketeraki and Ōtākou, was held on 2 April to develop ideas, aspirations and pathways for Māori involvement. The right space The collective wisdom, passion and ideas of Ngāi Tahu and Māori creatives, te reo experts and digital How do we ensure the CODE office and activity and gaming experts emerging from this hui and space is welcoming and accessible to anyone with ongoing collaboration will be pivotal in shaping an interest in game development? How do we use CODE’s approach. it to its best effect? How will it help achieve CODE’s outcomes? Where should it be? We recently issued a Request for Quote to local providers to see what space is available for CODE and how they think those, and other questions, could best be answered. We look forward to sharing the outcome of this when the process concludes.

The best people Once CODE has a space, it will need people to bring it to life. A key role that we’ll be recruiting for is CODE’s Director. Whoever takes on this role will need to have the passion, skills and experience to help develop and drive the ecosystem to support CODE’s vision of a $1 billion game development industry in New Zealand. They’ll also need a talent for influencing and Creating momentum Pre-COVID-19, we were starting to build some real momentum in providing local game developers with access to international and national experts and mentors and linking local people into opportunities within the game development ecosystem. Although some plans have been put on hold and options for continuing with others are more limited right now, which is disappointing, we are working in the background to keep this momentum going where we can. In the meantime, here’s a roundup of a few CODE-related visits which created a buzz in recent months:

Memorandum of Understanding with JP Tabitha Hayes and Adam Clark visit GAMES In February we were privileged to host Tabitha On 28 November, a memorandum of Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer for Star Stable understanding (MoU) was signed between Entertainment in Stockholm and former Vice successful Japan-based video games President, Global Brand Management and publisher, JP GAMES, and CODE. Marketing for Electronic Arts (EA), and her husband Adam Clark, who has worked for JP GAMES was launched last year by Hajime EA for more than 12 years, across multiple Tabata, Japanese game director and previous franchises - including Need for Speed, FIFA, Luminous Productions chief operating officer Battlefield and The SIMS. In that time Clark and head of studio. Prior to that, he was head has worked in EA’s Singapore, Vancouver and of game development company Square ’s San Francisco studios and is currently the Business Division 2 and the director of Final senior producer of Star Wars Battlefront II at Fantasy XV. The MoU will provide a basis for the DICE Studio in Stockholm. developing links between JP GAMES and CODE in computer game development, and While in Dunedin, Tabitha and Adam for investigating and progressing, by mutual attended the University of Otago Summer agreement, areas of cooperation or projects. School to speak with game development students and an industry meet-up at the The MoU was signed on Mr Tabata’s behalf SIGNAL ICT Graduate School. by JP GAMES’ Global Account Manager, Ken Kawashima, with Creative Director, Hiromitsu https://www.odt.co.nz/business/game- Sasaki, also in attendance. developers-coming-dunedin-pass-expertise We’ve remained in contact with JP GAMES https://www.odt.co.nz/business/game- since that time and will continue looking at developer-sees-much-potential-dunedin opportunities as they arise where possible during the COVID-19 challenge. Check out this ODT article on the MOU signing and visit of JP GAMES reps: https:// www.odt.co.nz/business/tokyo-dunedin- alliance-boosts-game-developer Celia Hodent visit Delaney King visit In February, CODE was able to sponsor a visit CODE, in conjunction with Christchurch to Dunedin by international video game user Game Developers and the Dunedin game experience (UX) consultant, author and former development community, welcomed Delaney UX director for the international video game King to speak at SIGNAL in Dunedin on 6 hit , Celia Hodent. Ms Hodent holds a December 2019. PhD in Psychology from the University of Paris Delaney King is a freelance digital artist, and has been working in the games industry sculptor and teacher based in Melbourne, since 2005. Before starting her consultancy Australia. With over 20 years experience in in 2017, she was Director of User Experience computer graphics, her titles include films at , where she developed UX Where The Wild Things Are and video games practices and strategy for games produced by 2004, Dragonage: Origins, the studio – including Fortnite, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, 4, Paragon and Battle Breakers. Civilization IV, Fury, Mythos and many more. While here, Celia gave a free public lecture This meetup was of special interest to digital on the psychology behind Fortnite’s success artists, especially those who work in 3D, but at Dunedin’s Signal ICT Graduate School. The was also relevant to anyone interested in public lecture followed a sold-out masterclass video games and game development. Ms Hodent ran at the ICT Graduate School on the topic of game-based UX and cognitive https://www.delaneyking.com/ science, which referenced her 2017 book The Gamer’s Brain: How Neuroscience and UX Can Impact . https://celiahodent.com/about/ https://www.odt.co.nz/business/theory- behind-gaming-explained

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