Australia India Institute Volume 20, February 2021

Fostering Opportunities in Video Games between Victoria and India

Dr Jens Schroeder Fostering Opportunities in Video Games between Victoria and India The Australia India Institute, based at The University of , is funded by Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, the State Government of Victoria and the University of Melbourne. Video games are booming all over the world, during the COVID-19 pandemic more than Summary ever. Australia and India are no exceptions. This policy brief focuses on the opportunities for both Indian and Victorian game developers and educators in the context of the Victorian government's support for its creative industries. Based on desk research and discussions at the Victoria-India Video Games Roundtable conducted on 8 December 2020 by the Australia India Institute in collaboration with Creative Victoria and Global Victoria, this report identified the following avenues for collaboration: • Access to complementary expertise and talent in both countries • Joint education programs and exchanges • Victorian game developers working with Indian partners to adapt their games to the Indian market and its complexities and challenges

Video games1 are one of the world's largest and fastest-growing entertainment and media Introduction industries. In Australia, Victoria is the hotspot for game development. With 33% of all studios and 39% of all industry positions,2 more studios call Victoria home than any other state in Australia. Meanwhile, India's smartphone penetration has skyrocketed to the point where the country has become the world's most avid consumer of mobile gaming apps. This policy brief sets out to explore how Victoria-based game developers and educators can take advantage of this emerging market and the opportunities it presents. It establishes a frame of reference by highlighting the characteristics of both markets: India, as a highly complex mobile-centric consumer market whose traditional service approach to games has resulted in unmet demand for certain production skills, stands opposite a product-centric Australia, where the long engagement with video games has led to a successful international outlook and track record and the corresponding acquisition of expertise. Based on these insights, this policy brief explores three areas of opportunity. First, joint ventures that can support Indian developers to strive towards more sophisticated products while Indian talent can support Australian studios in their growth. Secondly, collaborations between educational providers and other stakeholders with complementary skills applied to educational activities on a number of levels (undergraduate, postgraduate, internships, incubators). Thirdly, partnerships where Australian game developers wanting to enter the highly stratified Indian consumer market can benefit from the Indian partner’s market insights.

1 Video and digital games are used interchangeably in this report. For purposes of this report, ‘games’ do not include applications that replicate types of gambling in virtual form. While these games are made in Australia and are popular in India, IGEA does not represent developers that focus on these kinds of titles. Members’ games can include behaviourist monetisation techniques, but their core does not revolve around casino-style gameplay. 2 IGEA (2019) Australian Development Industry Contributes to Exports and Job Opportunities. https://igea. net/2019/11/australian-video-game-development-industry-contributes-to-exports-and-job-opportunities/

4 Victoria's Creative State strategy highlights the importance of the sector to the state Victoria’s economy. Creative industries – including digital games along with the visual and performing arts, literature and publishing, music, screen production, design and fashion Video Game – contributed $22.7 billion to Victoria’s economy in 2015 and employed 290,000 workers 3 Strategy or 8.6% of Victoria’s workforce. While the Creative State strategy's original vision has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its further development was paused to address the acute and immediate impacts facing the sector, Victoria’s ongoing support of the creative industries is not just reflected in temporary relief measures but also the ongoing maintenance of existing programs. Initiatives include Film Victoria's Games Release Fund and Assigned Production Investment for games as well as the recently announced allocation of AU$19.2 million to attract international and interstate screen projects to the state. The vast majority of the investment will be committed prior to 30 June 2021 and will more than double Film Victoria’s investment in the development of locally generated digital games.4 The Victorian gaming industry is also supported by the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA), the peak industry association representing the voice of Australian companies in the computer and video games industry. IGEA supports the business and public policy interests of the games industry, through advocacy, research and education programs. Its mission is to create an environment that supports and drives sustainable growth for the interactive games and entertainment industry. Victoria’s commitment to strengthening the links with India in the digital gaming sector, including gamification, is recorded in Victoria’s India Strategy. The strategy asserts that Victoria will continue to promote and support commercial opportunities with Indian partners,5 an initiative whose potential this policy brief will further explore. The brevity of this paper and the ever-changing dynamics of the Indian market mean that it should be treated as a step towards further conversations between the two countries for exploring opportunities in more detail.

3 Creative Victoria (2020) About. https://creative.vic.gov.au/about 4 Film Victoria (2020) Press Release. Levelling Up Support for Victoria’s Digital Games Sector. 5 Victoria State Government (2018) Victoria’s India Strategy (Melbourne: Victoria State Government), p. 36.

5 publishing, music, screen production, design and fashion – contributed $22.7 billion to Victoria’s economy in 2015 and employed 290,000 workers or 8.6% of Victoria’s workforce.3

While the Creative State strategy's original vision has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its further development was paused to address the acute and immediate impacts facing the sector, Victoria’s ongoing support of the creative industries is not just reflected in temporary relief measures but also the ongoing maintenance of existing programs. Initiatives include Film Victoria's Games Release Fund and Assigned Production Investment for games as well as the recently announced allocation of AU$19.2 million to attract international and interstate screen projects to the state. The vast majority of the investment will be committed prior to 30 June 2021 and will more than double Film Victoria’s investment in the development of locally generated digital games.4

The Victorian gaming industry is also supported by the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA), the peak industry association representing the voice of Australian companies in the computer and video games industry. IGEA supports the business and public policy interests of the games industry, through advocacy, research and education programs. Its mission is to create an environment that supports and drives sustainable growth for the interactive games and entertainment industry.

Victoria’s commitment to strengthening the links with India in the digital gaming sector, including gamification, is recorded in Victoria’s India Strategy. The strategy asserts that Victoria will continue to promote and support commercial opportunities with Indian partners,5 an initiative whose potential this policy brief will further explore. The brevity of this paper and the ever-changing dynamics of the Indian market mean that it should be treated as a step towards further conversations between the two countries for exploring opportunities in more detail.

The Global Video Games Market The interactive games sector is one of the largest and fastest growing entertainment and The Global mediaThe interactive industries games in thesector world. is one Estimated of the largest to beand worth fastest almost growing AU$280 entertainment billion and globally media by 2023industries (Figure in the 1 ),world.6 games Estimated are bigger to be business worth almost than AU$280 films, billionmusic globa andlly books. by 2023 (Figure 1),6 Video Games games are bigger business than films, music and books.

FigureFigure 1: 1: Global Global Game Game Market Market Revenue Revenue (1970-2022) (1970-2022) Market

Source: Gamingscan. https://www.gamingscan.com/gaming-statistics/

Already3 Creative oneVictoria of (2020)the world’s About. https://creative.vic.gov.au/aboutlargest and fastest-growing entertainment industries before 4 Film Victoria (2020) Press Release. Levelling Up Support for Victoria’s Digital Games Sector. COVID-195 Victoria State hit, Government gaming (2018)has further Victoria’s expanded India Strategy during (Melbourne the lockdowns.: Victoria State With Government the ongoing), p. 36. global6 Tom Wijman proliferation (2020) The of World’s smartphones, 2.7 Billion Gamersnew monetisation Will Spend $159.3 models, Billion on and Games the inrefinement 2020. Newzoo of. revenuehttps://newzoo.com/insights/articles/newzoo streams such as ,-games- marketgames-numbers are increasingly-revenues-and attracting-audience- 2020mainstream-2023/ consumers. Video games have amongst the largest support base of any creative industry with over 2 billion gamers globally. The traditional markets of North America and Europe have seen accelerated growth rates, and the Asia-Pacific region has an estimated 1 billion gamers and already accounts for more than half of all global game revenue.7

Gaming in India has grown on the back of smartphone penetration, low data costs, Video Games improved bandwidth, growth in micropayments and the rise in disposable income. The number of smartphone users in India was expected to reach 530 million by the end of in India 20208 while the number of all gaming consumers was poised to rise to 628 million within the same timeframe.9 As a result, the Indian mobile games market alone is expected to grow to US$1.1 billion. Traditionally, access to video games in India has been limited; the high cost of hardware and the need to install games from physical media resulted in a limited appeal of PCs and consoles as well as a comparatively underdeveloped gaming culture.10 Increased accessibility came with (Android) smartphones and the ability to download mobile applications and games over WiFi and mobile networks at low costs (with 1 GB of data costing AUD 1$ or less). Excluding Chinese third-party app downloads, India was the leading market for app downloads in Q2 2020, with nearly 7 billion, followed 6 Tom Wijman (2020) The World’s 2.7 Billion Gamers Will Spend $159.3 Billion on Games in 2020. Newzoo. https://newzoo. com/insights/articles/newzoo-games-market-numbers-revenues-and-audience-2020-2023/ 7 Guilherme Fernandes (2019) Navigating the world’s fastest-growing games market: Insights into Southeast Asia NewZoo. https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/navigating-the-worlds-fastest-growing-games-market-insights-into-southeast-asia/ 8 Austrade India (2019) Digital Games Sector Market Insights (Perth: Austrade), p. 2. 9 2020: The up-and-coming year for Indian gaming industry! Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/brand- stories/2020-the-up-and-coming-year-for-indian-gaming-industry/story-FZdh2XYuCVmXF5DoomuovK.html 10 Austrade India (2019), p. 2.

6 by the US with around 3.75 billion.11 Correspondingly, India has also become one of the top five markets for mobile gaming in terms of number of users.12 In 2019, around 5.6 bn mobile gaming apps were downloaded in India – the highest in the world and representing nearly 13% of gaming apps globally.13 Between 2016 and 2019, Indian app downloads grew 190% (Figure 2). In addition, mobile games account for 80-90% of the overall online gaming segment. KPMG classifies over half of India’s 365 million gaming consumers as “online gamers.”14 PC and console gaming are projecting muted growth, catering to a limited, albeit engaged, audience. ‘Hardcore gaming’ in its traditional form demands time and dedication along with access to PCs or consoles and therefore appeals to a smaller set of audiences. In contrast, mobile gaming is expected to gain at their expense, given its inherent flexibility and convenience. Figure 2: Growth in app downloads by country, 2016-2019 (App Annie)

GLOBAL CHINA INDIA UNITED BRAZIL INDONESIA 45% 80% 190% STATES 40% 70% 5%

Source: Iqbal (2020)

In terms of demographics and user engagement, India is approximating global trends. In 2018, the average time spent on gaming was close to reaching the global average (6.92 hours per week for India vs 7.11 hours per week for the rest of the world). While a younger audience still dominates, older players are increasingly engaging; nearly one-third of the gaming population in India is now aged over 35 years. Moreover, the percentage of female gamers has risen to 45%.15 Women in India are showing increased interest in online gaming and spend similar time on gaming applications compared to men in India (Figure 3).

11 Mansoor Iqbal (2020) App Download and Usage Statistics (2020) Business of Apps. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/ app-statistics/ 12 KPMG (2019) India's Digital Future (India: KPMG), p. 106. https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/in/pdf/2019/08/india- media-entertainment-report-2019.pdf 13 Iqbal (2020). 14 KPMG (2019), p. 106. 15 KPMG (2019), p. 105-106.

7 UNITED GLOBAL CHINA INDIA BRAZIL INDONESIA STATES 45% 80% 190% 40% 70% 5%

Source: Iqbal (2020).

In terms of demographics and user engagement, India is approximating global trends. In 2018, the average time spent on gaming was close to reaching the global average (6.92 hours per week for India vs 7.11 hours per week for the rest of the world). While a younger audience still dominates, older players are increasingly engaging; nearly one-third of the gaming population in India is now aged over 35 years. Moreover, the percentage of female gamers has risen to 45%.15 Women in India are showing increased interest in online gaming and spend similar time on gaming applications compared to men in India (Figure 3).

Figure 3: MinutesFigure per 3: visitorMinutes by per gender visitor by (selected gender (selected countries) countries)

Source: Global Victoria (2020). Presentation: Session on the Indian Gaming Ecosystem – Overview, Challenges, Source: GlobalTrends Victoria and Opportunities. (2020). Presentation: Session on the Indian Gaming Ecosystem – Overview, Challenges, TrendsDue to and their Opportunities free-to-play approach,. casual games – including casual ‘real money’ games such as rummy, poker, sports, and quiz games – are the most popular genre in Due to their freeIndia-to (see-play Table approach, 1).16 These casual types of gamesgames are – includingplayed by approximately casual ‘real 80% m oneyof all gamers.’ games such as rummy, poker,A fantasy successful sports, example and of a casualquiz gamesgame is Ludo– are King the. Based most on popular the eponymous genre board in India (see Table 1).16 game, this locally developed title was the first Indian gaming app to surpass 100 million These types ofdownloads. games are By playedJanuary 2020by approximately it had surpassed 300 80% million of all downloads gamers. and A couldsuccessful boast 75 example of a casual game ismillion Ludo Kingmonthly. Based active onusers. the COVID-19 eponymous lockdowns board encouraged game, thisan even locally stronger developed uptake of title was the first Indian gamingthese typesapp ofto games surpass and attracted100 million new users downloads. in the process. By JanuaryCorrespondingly, 2020 it Ludo had King’s surpassed 300 adoption further accelerated, in the second quarter of 2020 alone it was downloaded over 60 million times, making it the world’s fifth-most popular app.17 15 KPMG (2019), p. 105-106. 18 16 KPMG (2019),Likewise, p. 104. other non-fantasy real money games continued to see “tremendous uptake,” with traditional card games such as Teen Patti, Rummy and Poker continuing to lead the segment due to their potential for social connection, mass appeal, and loyal user base.

16 KPMG (2019), p. 104. 17 Iqbal (2020). 18 KPMG (2019), p. 107.

8 million downloads and could boast 75 million monthly active users. COVID-19 lockdowns encouraged an even stronger uptake of these types of games and attracted new users in the process. Correspondingly, Ludo King’s adoption further accelerated, in the second quarter of 2020 alone it was downloaded over 60 million times, making it the world’s fifth-most popular app.17

Likewise, other non-fantasy real money games continued to see “tremendous uptake,”18 with traditional card games such as Teen Patti, Rummy and Poker continuing to lead the segment due to their potential for social connection, mass appeal, and loyal user base. Over half (55%) of the US$1.1 billion Indian games market comes from real money gaming; the prospect of earning some money on the side and ability to show off one’s skills drive annual growth rates between 40% and 50%. Over half (55%) of the US$1.1 billion Indian games market comes from real money gaming; Tablethe 1: Topprospect mobile of earning games some in India money 2019 on the side and ability to show off one’s skills drive annual growth rates between 40% and 50%. Table 1: Top mobile games in India 2019

Source: Global Victoria (2020). Presentation: Session on the Indian Gaming Ecosystem – Overview, Challenges, Trends and Opportunities. Source: Global Victoria (2020). Presentation: Session on the Indian Gaming Ecosystem – Overview, Challenges,Online fantasyTrends sports, and Opportunities meanwhile, suffered. a temporary setback. While witnessing strong growth on the back of India’s Premier League in 2019 (Figure 4), these games were

negatively impacted by the cancellation of sports events due to the COVID pandemic.19 Online fantasy sports, meanwhile, suffered a temporary setback. While witnessing strong growth on the back of India’s Premier Cricket League in 2019 (Figure 4), these games were negatively impacted by the cancellation of sports events due to the COVID pandemic.19

17 Iqbal (2020). 18 KPMG (2019), p. 107. 19 Poonam Mondal (2020) By 2022 gaming sector will witness growth in revenue at 45 per cent CAGR: KPMG. Animation Express. https://www.animationxpress.com/games/by-2022-gaming-sector-will-witness-growth-in- revenue-at-45-per-cent-cagr-kpmg/ 19 Poonam Mondal (2020) By 2022 gaming sector will witness growth in revenue at 45 per cent CAGR: KPMG. Animation Express. https://www.animationxpress.com/games/by-2022-gaming-sector-will-witness-growth-in-revenue-at-45-per-cent- cagr-kpmg/

9 Figure 4: Growth in Indian Fantasy Sports

Figure 4: Growth in Indian Fantasy Sports

Source: KPMG (2019), p. 108.

The growth of the Indian games market also highlights how gaming platforms are emerging as community networks beyond mere entertainment, enabling families and friends to connect and share experiences.Source In: 2018,KPMG Hello ( Ludo2019), introduced p. 108 an in-game. voice chat that resulted in daily active users spending more than 25 minutes in it. Almost half (46%) of the Indian Player Unknown's BattleGrounds Mobile (PUBG Mobile) players use the in-game The growth of the Indianvoice chatgames feature market to discuss notalso only highlights game tactics but how also non- gamingPUBG topics platforms at length.20 are emerging as (PUBG is the pioneer of the hugely popular ‘battle royale’ genre, “a large-scale free-for-all community networks deathbeyond match withmere the goalentertainment to be the last player, alive.”)enabling21 families and friends to connect and share experiences. In What2018, all these Hello numbers Ludo do introducednot immediately revealan in is -thegame diversity voice of the Indianchat market.that resulted in daily active users spending more thanIndia is 25not aminutes monolithic block in it. but Almost a highly complex half (ecosystem46%) of with the demographics Indian Player Unknown's BattleGrounds Mobileextending (PUBG across Mobile the whole) players range of the use socio-economic the in-game spectrum voice and a chatrapid evolution feature in to discuss not only gamers’ tastes – even further accelerated by COVID-19 – illustrated in the astronomic rise 20 game tactics but also ofnon battle-royale-PUBG action topics title PUBGat length. Mobile into (thePUBG charts alongsideis the pioneerthe casual and of casino the hugely popular ‘battle royale’ genre, “a largegames-scale that freehave dominated-for-all (seedeath Table match1). with the goal to be the last player alive.”)21 In 2019, there were between 33 and 50 million PUBG Mobile players in India. By early 2020, 116 million downloads came from the subcontinent, a number amounting to 21% What all these numbersof global do downloads.not immediately22 The trend towards reveal more is sophisticated the diversity mid-core of to thehardcore Indian games market. India is not a monolithic block but awith highly multi-player complex setups is ecosystem also reflected in withthe popularity demographics of Garena Free Fire extending, which saw across the whole a marked increase in downloads after the Indian government banned the Chinese-made range of the socio-economicPUBG Mobile spectrum due to border and tensions a rapidwith China. evolution Indian gamers in alsogamers’ accounted tastes for 15% of– even further accelerated by COVIDglobal-19 –downloads illustrated of 2020’s in global the hit astronomic title Among Us.23 rise of battle-royale action title PUBG Mobile into the charts alongside the casual and casino games that have dominated (see Table 1). 20 KPMG (2019), p. 107. 21 Alessandro Fillari (2019) Battle Royale Games Explained: Fortnite, PUBG, And What Could Be the Next Big Hit. Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/battle-royale-games-explained-fortnite-pubg-and-wh/1100-6459225/ In 2019, there were between22 Kayleigh Partleton 33 (2019) and PUBG 50 Mobile million shoots through PUBG $1.5 billion Mobile in lifetime revenue players in. https://www. India. By early 2020, 116 pocketgamer.biz/asia/news/72145/pubg-mobile-1500000000-lifetime-revenue/ 23 Ananya Bhattacharya (2020) Nearly 20% of all downloads in the world this year were from India. Quartz 22 million downloads cameIndia. https://qz.com/india/1937845/pubg-among-us-crazy-indians-downloaded-7-3-billion-games-in-2020from the subcontinent, a number amounting to 21% of global downloads. The trend towards more sophisticated mid-core to hardcore games with multi-player setups is also 10 reflected in the popularity of Garena Free Fire, which saw a marked increase in downloads after the Indian government banned the Chinese-made PUBG Mobile due to border tensions with China. Indian gamers also accounted for 15% of global downloads of 2020’s global hit title Among Us.23

This evolution in taste coincides with a burgeoning e-sports scene. India is ranked number 17 in the US$1.5 billion e-sports industry and is growing rapidly.24 Mobile-based games like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire helped to overcome latency problems (delays between user actions and game

20 KPMG (2019), p. 107. 21 Alessandro Fillari (2019) Battle Royale Games Explained: Fortnite, PUBG, And What Could Be the Next Big Hit. Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/battle-royale-games-explained-fortnite-pubg-and- wh/1100-6459225/ 22 Kayleigh Partleton (2019) PUBG Mobile shoots through $1.5 billion in lifetime revenue Pocket Gamer. https://www.pocketgamer.biz/asia/news/72145/pubg-mobile-1500000000-lifetime-revenue/ 23 Ananya Bhattacharya (2020) Nearly 20% of all mobile game downloads in the world this year were from India. Quartz India. https://qz.com/india/1937845/pubg-among-us-crazy-indians-downloaded-7-3-billion- games-in-2020 24 The rise of eSports in India Business Matters. https://bmmagazine.co.uk/business/the-rise-of-esports-in- india/ This evolution in taste coincides with a burgeoning e-sports scene. India is ranked number 17 in the US$1.5 billion e-sports industry and is growing rapidly.24 Mobile-based games like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire helped to overcome latency problems (delays between user actions and game responses) and the lack of expensive high-end computer hardware, the traditional platform of choice for e-sports titles. E-sports personalities are emerging, the prize pools for e-sports tournaments are increasing and, further accelerated by COVID-19, viewership of streamed e-sports competitions is gaining popularity with the potential to match the viewership of major sports event over the next five to seven years. The dominant monetisation strategy, regardless of genre, is free-to-play. The casual segment is largely supported by in-game advertising although there has been an increase in the popularity of freemium models (gamers making an in-game-purchase for an additional boost or to advance quicker in the game), as part of the uptake of mid-core to hardcore games. In 2019, 28% of gamers were willing to make an in-app purchase for an additional boost in their gaming experience. While the casual segment relies on in-game advertising, it is also starting to witness this change in monetisation approaches.25 Expectedly, gamers from an older demographic have a higher propensity to spend on games due to higher disposable income. Furthermore, growth in fantasy sports and other real money gaming platforms is likely to accelerate monetisation even further. Monetising mobile games represents the biggest opportunity for growth, but it is also the most vexing barrier. India paints the image of a market whose strength primarily lies in its sheer size while ongoing claims of its imminent explosion are yet to (fully) materialise. Ultimately, while the market appears very large from the outside, the number of people willing to make in-game-purchases is limited to about 40-50 million. That is not to dispute the industry's tremendous growth in India, but rather to demonstrate the nuance and complexities of the Indian demographics and cultures. Monetisation is also curtailed by India’s predominantly cash-based economy. There are only 20 million credit cards in circulation in India, the idea of credit is viewed with a certain scepticism, and the consumer base is cost conscious.26 In recent commentary on average revenue per user among newly released games in 2019, mobile analytics company App Annie stated that India generated “zero” revenue.27 This somewhat exaggerated statement primarily serves to highlight the disparity between the number of downloads and paying users, and does not take into consideration real money apps as these are downloaded outside of Google’s Play Store. Nevertheless, international developers need to be mindful of the need to find their niche between casual and hyper casual ad-monetised mobile games with little scope for in-app-purchases outside of the real-money gaming scene, and the narrow monetisation band of the global phenomena of games like Clash Royale and PUBG Mobile.28 While in-app-purchases have grown between 70-80% over the last year, this growth has been very concentrated and mostly confined to the top three or four games. Revenue drops considerably for titles any lower on the charts.

24 The rise of eSports in India Business Matters. https://bmmagazine.co.uk/business/the-rise-of-esports-in-india/ 25 KPMG (2019), p. 107. 26 Haydn Taylor (2019) IGDC: Solving the Monetisation Problem in India Gamesindustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ articles/2019-01-09-solving-the-monetisation-problem-in-india 27 Amit Raja Naik (2020) India Tops the World for App Downloads. But Has ‘Zero’ Gaming Revenue: App Annie. Inc42. https://inc42.com/buzz/india-tops-the-world-for-app-downloads-but-has-zero-revenue-app-annie/ 28 Taylor (2019).

11 Another “major roadblock” is the ambiguity around the laws that govern gaming in India, in particular real money games.29 Under most Indian laws, gambling activities are referred to as ‘gaming’. Though the Constitution of India gives states the power to pass laws regulating gambling and betting, there is no clarity regarding online gaming. Despite these challenges, the Indian market is poised for continued growth. An expanding user base, advanced monetisation strategies, the growth in e-sports and expanding infrastructure translate into an estimated compounded growth rate of 32% over the period between 2020 and 2024.30

Australians spent over $4 billion on video games and games hardware in 2018, a 25% Video Games increase from 2017.31 This means Australians spend more on games than they spend on films (three times as much32), streaming services, Pay TV, music, books or likely any other in Australia creative or entertainment activity (Figure 5). Spending dipped below $4 billion in 2019 due to the 8th console generation (PlayStation 4 and ) reaching the end of its lifecycle but is expected to pick up considerably in 2020 with major new hardware and games releases due and in light of the increase in game play during the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent PwC report places Australia as one of the highest per capita spenders on video games in the world.33 This affection for games is also reflected in the demographics of Australian consumers: two out of every three Australians play games; the average age of the Australian game player is 34 and video games are almost equally played by males and females. Over 40% of Australians aged over 65 play games to keep their minds sharp, to stay active, and to spend time with their grandchildren. Moreover, nine out of ten Australian households own at least one gaming device.34 Australians’ close relationship with games also translates into a long history of successful game production. Australian-made games featured heavily on home computers in the 1980s. Beam Software's The Hobbit introduced ground-breaking gameplay and sold over a million copies while their Way of the Exploding Fist paved the way for ‘beat-em-ups’. In 1986, Beam International sales had ten per cent of the UK market across all formats. The 1990s and early 2000s saw the birth of new studios and the export of titles popular on the international stage. Australian studios released or worked on such innovative titles as Dark Reign, Destroy All Humans, LA Noire or BioShock and cemented their reputation as world-class sources of game content. In a changing industry, Australian studios successfully rode the wave of mobile games. Flight Control started a trend that saw Fruit Ninja being downloaded more than a billion times and climb the worldwide app charts. In recent years, the PC became the dominant platform for game developers and games like Hacknet, Satellite Reign, Ashes Cricket or Hand of Fate demonstrated Australia's continued versatility and ability to create internationally successful intellectual property (IP).

29 KPMG (2019), p. 109. 30 KPMG (2019), p. 109. 31 IGEA (2019) Consumer spending breaks through the $4 billion mark. https://igea.net/2019/05/aussies-love-for-video-games- continues-to-grow 32 Screen Australia (2019) 2019 Snapshot: Cinema Industry Trends. https://www. screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/ industry-trends/ box-office 33 PwC (2020) Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook 2020-2024 (Sydney: PwC), p. 13. 34 IGEA (2019) Digital Australia (Sydney: IGEA), p. 7.

12 Figure 5: Entertainment and media Industry revenue and share by sector for 2019 (actual) and 2024 (forecast)

Source: PwC (2020), p. 3. Source: PwC (2020), p. 3.

A recentA PwC recent report survey places by IGEA Australia found asthat, one in of the the 2018-2019 highest perfinancial capita year, spenders Australian on video studios games in the world.33generated This affection $143.5 for million games (see is alsoAppendix reflected A).35 in The the local demographics industry employed of Australian 1,275 consumersfulltime : two out of everyequivalent three employees Australians and, play owing games to its; the small average domestic age market, of the Australian generated 83%game of playerits is 34 and video gamesrevenue are overseas. almost equallyThere has played been bya malesmarked andincrease females. in focus Over on 40%Asian of Australiansmarkets, with aged 65% over 65 play gamesof respondents to keep their developing minds sharp, for Asian to stay markets, active, up andfrom to 37% spend in 2017. time Other with their international grandchildren. Moreover,markets nine include out of tenthe USAustralian and Europe. households Australian own studios at least are one creative gaming and device.focused34 with almost two-thirds (61%) of respondents exclusively developing their own IP. A further Australians’ close relationship with games also translates into a long history of successful game production. Australian-made games featured heavily on home computers in the 1980s. Beam Software's35 IGEA The (2019) Hobbit Australian introduced Video Game ground Development-breaking Industry Contributes gameplay to Exports and andsold Job overOpportunities. a million copies while their Way of the Exploding Fist paved the way for ‘beat-em-ups’. In 1986, Beam International sales had ten per cent of the UK market across all formats. The 1990s and early 2000s saw the birth13 of new studios and the export of titles popular on the international stage. Australian studios released or worked on such innovative titles as Dark Reign, Destroy All Humans, LA Noire or BioShock and cemented their reputation as world-class sources of game content. In a changing industry, Australian

33 PwC (2020) Australian Entertainment & Media Outlook 2020-2024 (Sydney: PwC), p. 13. 34 IGEA (2019) Digital Australia (Sydney: IGEA), p. 7. 28% develop their own IP alongside producing games and services for clients. Australia- wide, the sector also proved to be largely resilient to the effects of COVID-19. IGEA’s 2020 COVID survey identified that 84% of respondents were not planning to make any staff cutbacks or redundancies in the immediate term and 44% of surveyed developers reported stable or increased sales revenues.36 To put the Australian market into perspective, the $143.5 million represents a capture of only 0.05% of the global market. Australia’s game development industry is world-class yet underdeveloped. Thanks to expenditure-based tax incentives, other regions were able to grow their industries into billion-dollar enterprises, Canada and the UK being prominent examples. Australian Government support will be crucial to the development of a robust and sizeable Australian industry that is a in a better position to capture global opportunities, including the opportunities of the Indian market. The state of Victoria demonstrates what targeted government investment – production incentives and offsets as well as travel and production grant programs – can achieve. More Australian game development studios continue to call Victoria home than any other state.37 The majority of the Australian games workforce is based in the state, and there is a steady supply of graduates from highly-ranked universities and specialised institutions. Victoria is home to some of Australia’s most significant and successful games titles and studios (see Appendix B). Victoria is also home to Australia’s biggest e-sports event, the Melbourne Esports Open, while Melbourne has been recognised as Australia’s top tech city on the Savills Tech City Index.38 Melbourne's importance as an epicentre for game development and culture is also reflected in it hosting Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW), Asia Pacific’s largest digital games celebration which features Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP), Australia's premier conference for game developers, and PAX, Australia's largest consumer expo. MIGW serves as an event to bring industry stakeholders from various countries together.

36 IGEA (2020) Australian Video Games Industry Resilient Despite COVID-19 Impact. https://igea.net/2020/05/australian- video-games-industry-resilient-despite-covid-19-impact/ 37 Global Victoria. Digital Games. https://global.vic.gov.au/victorias-capabilities/industry-sectors/digital-technologies/digital-games 38 Savills (2019) Tech Cities in Motion. https://www.savills.co.uk/research_articles/229130/274942-0

14 The SWOT analysis at Appendix C provides the general context for the specific Opportunities opportunities listed below that were identified at the roundtable and through the consultation process.

1. Game Development Collaborations In line with local preferences, the Indian-made mobile games that dominate the charts primarily revolve around casino-style or hyper casual gameplay. They do not rely on elaborate narrative structures, complex economies associated with bigger budget titles, intricate game design or the continuous enhancement via live operations. Accordingly, there are gaps in the knowledge of the entire production pipeline of more substantial games and a corresponding shortage of skills. India is not currently in a position to produce AAA console or PC titles (games with multimillion-dollar budgets for both production and marketing). While the industry is catching up rapidly, facilitated by the presence of overseas studios such as Ubisoft and Zynga and the associated transfer of expertise, a push for complementary skill sets via joint ventures with studios from mature industries holds promise. Victorian game developers are particularly well aligned with this opportunity due to their focus on international markets – 83% of the income of the Australian industry in 2018/19 was generated overseas. This facilitation of complementary skill sets can go both ways and take the form of joint ventures or acquisitions in each country. Traditionally, Australia has focused on product development whereas India has had a service mindset. Indian game developers could leverage Australian expertise to create more complex games for local and international markets, while Victorian developers could leverage India's low-cost raw talent pool to scale and address bottlenecks. Victoria could support India taking a short cut to more advanced games, while India could support Australia's return to big-budget productions by means of its workforce. Lakshya Digital is an example of the latter strategy. Their extension into the US and other overseas markets completed the production pipeline by adding a managerial/seniority level which supplemented the art leadership in India (where even today there remains unmet demand for these skills). This setup, in turn, allowed their clients to take on a greater number and larger scale productions and facilitated Lakshya Digital's growth from six to almost 600 staff. Conversely, there is potential for Australian expertise to collaborate with the Indian industry to create bigger games that convey Indian stories to local audiences and the wider world, a strategy that enjoys the support of India's Prime Minister. In August 2020, Narendra Modi called for India to tap the huge potential of the digital gaming industry and “lead the international digital gaming sector by developing games that are inspired from Indian culture and folk tales.”39

39 Press Information Bureau (Government of India) (2020) Press Release. PM convenes meeting to discuss ways to boost toy manufacturing in India. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1647971

15 While Western games and gameplay mechanics are popular, this is mostly because of the relative immaturity of the local games industry in a market that highly values local content on other platforms and is already undergoing a rapid evolution in terms of gaming tastes moving towards more complex titles. The rewards of this opportunity might not materialise in the short term and there is the risk of not gaining traction in the marketplace, however, this path promises exponential rewards in the long run.40

2. Education The facilitation of expertise also underwrites the possibilities in the educational space. The skills gaps in the Indian games industry could be addressed through collaborative efforts between Indian and Victorian universities and specialised vocational education institutions. Victoria produces over 1,000 graduates a year from 29 games-related courses and 20 academic institutions and plays an important role in the education of the sector workforce. The growth of the Indian gaming industry means that games are increasingly seen as a viable career path, with the field attracting talent across the value chain from artists, programmers, designers and app developers. Indian education is now catering to these skills, and there are opportunities for Victorian education providers to supplement the technical expertise developed under the Indian education system by providing a more interdisciplinary and holistic outlook that, in addition to practical skills, develops expertise in advanced game design, narrative psychology and cultural studies. This could take the form of a finishing school where Indian students complete their studies overseas to ‘fine-tune’ their craft and facilitate their entry into the (international) industry. One example of this model is Arena Animation, one of the oldest animation and VFX training centres in India, which entered into a collaboration with Vancouver's Langara Centre for Entertainment Arts. Students study a year in India before completing the remainder of the course in Canada. Arena Animation is currently in talks with Swinburne University regarding a similar approach, with the focus on narrative psychology and philosophy and other aspects of design. This broader approach to education aligns with India's new National Education Policy (NEP). Launched in July 2020, the NEP posits a liberal education that is multidisciplinary and holistic, encompassing creativity, collaboration, social responsibility, multilingualism, and digital learning.41 Video games represent this kind of interdisciplinarity, as the intersection of all arts, animation, music, sound and even architecture, while being driven by technology and promoted by advanced marketing and commercialisation techniques. The opportunities identified in India's National Education Policy also extend to the use of games in education. The NEP notes the emergence of digital technologies and the increasing importance of leveraging technology for teaching and learning at all levels from school to higher education. It plans the establishment of a digital repository of content including learning games and simulations, augmented reality and virtual reality. It envisages “fun based” learning using apps and the gamification of Indian art.42

40 This is similar to Naspers Limited, a South African-based consumer Internet company, which invested US$32 million into Chinese gaming giant Tencent in 2001, a venture that had grown to US$129 billion in 2019. Phoebe Jin (2019) Naspers and Tencent: the investment case Spaceship. https://www.spaceship.com.au/learn/naspers-tencent-investment-case/ 41 Government of India (2020) National Education Policy 2020, p. 5; Craig Jeffrey (2020) A Very Short Policy Brief. India's National Education Policy (Melbourne: Australia India Institute), p. 5. 42 NEP, p. 59.

16 The NEP also envisages online education as a vehicle for increasing access to quality higher education, which is another avenue of potential collaboration for Victorian education providers with expertise in online and distance learning. Games have the advantage that they can be made remotely, something highlighted by collaborative work practices brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. In IGEA's COVID survey, 71% of respondents reported they had successfully transitioned to working from home with another 22% reporting they were already operating remotely.43 Other forms of potential collaboration include joint coursework where Australian students engage in prototyping activities with another overseas university, student exchange programs and study tours, and shared curricula where an Australian university would primarily focus on the theoretical and philosophical backdrop whereas the production work would be done locally. Such an arrangement exists between RMIT Vietnam and RMIT Melbourne. Australian educators could collaborate with their Indian counterparts in developing links with the games industry, in particular studios operating across both countries, in such areas as internships. These could be integrated into the curriculum, although this approach needs to consider the possibility of a lack of direct placements due to the size of the local industry and the subsequent need to provide alternative work integrated learning options (educational activities that integrate academic learning of a discipline with its practical application in the workplace). An example would be the replication of game production within the place of learning under industry supervision. An alternative model would be fully funded internships that would allow graduates to embed themselves into a company for three months or other periods of time, leading to a job offer or take the gained knowledge back home. Australia could partner with India in the development of research capacity and contribute to the building of an Australia-India research nexus by means of faculty exchange, developing post-doctoral networks, and enhancing opportunities for two-way student mobility. Further opportunities in this context would revolve around complementary skills and exposing Indian students to international design contexts. Students could also be introduced to sectors tangentially related to ‘traditional’ games making, such as virtual reality and games for purposes other than entertainment such as healthcare or education, a sector that holds immense promise in the Indian market.44 Outside of the academic space, the exchange of knowledge and skills could also take place within incubators such as IMAGE, India’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) for gaming, VFX, computer vision and AI in Hyderabad. Set up by Software Technology Parks of India and backed by the Telangana government, and industry partners Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association, with the objective of incubating 25 to 30 start-ups annually for the next five years, it offers mentoring, technology support, infrastructure, and funding. An exchange program with Australian partners such as Melbourne’s The Arcade, Australia’s first, not-for-profit, collaborative workspace created specifically for game developers and creative companies, could lead to cross-pollination and hone the mutual understanding of the opportunities each market and games ecosystem has to offer.

43 IGEA (2020) Australian Video Games Industry Resilient Despite COVID-19 Impact. 44 Sindhuja Balaji (2020) How Are India's Biggest EdTech Startups Winning Students? By Treating It Like A Game Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sindhujabalaji/2018/03/11/how-are-indias-biggest-edtech-startups-winning-students-by-treating- it-like-a-game/?sh=149e51c06908; Vibha Chetan, et al. (2018) Gamification: the Next Evolution of Education. Proceeding of the International Conference on Future of Education 1 (2018), p. 38-49. https://doi.org/10.17501/26307413.2018.1106.

17 3. Victorian Game Developers Entering the Indian Market Given the sheer size and growth of the India video games market, it seems obvious that Victorian studios would attempt to make their games available to these hundreds of millions of new consumers. Yet market entry into India can be challenging. While Western games and their art and gameplay are popular, India is a highly complex market that encompasses a spectrum of socio-economic groups, local cultures and ever-evolving tastes. The monetisation band is very narrow and dominated by global games that are able to engage the limited number of gamers with capacity to make in-game-purchases. Ad-supported casual games rarely pay more than 1-2 cents per user and primarily work through sheer volume, while real money games remain off limits due to the lack of legislative clarity. Victorian developers considering the Indian market need to be realistic about their expectations. Part of this is the ongoing need to calibrate the product/market fit, and the tight management of in-game economies to ensure consumers are engaged by positively responding to their value proposition – and can pay for in-game-purchases via localised payment systems. This does not just suggest a mere localisation of games by means of offering it in Indian languages but experimentation with a deeper proactive ‘culturalisation,’ which involves a closer examination of the assumptions to assess the viability of creative choices in both the global, multicultural marketplace as well as in specific locales.45 In light of these challenges, Victorian developers seeking market entry should consider collaborating with a local partner, and preferably one that is willing to shoulder some of the financial risks associated with market entry (which, according to some Victorian studios who eyed the Indian market, is not always the case). One example of a successful Victorian market entry into India is Big Ant's series of cricket games, with being heralded as the game that could help to break the ‘beautiful game’ into e-sports and rival such giants as the FIFA series.46 With this title, Big Ant was able to take advantage of the unparalleled popularity of cricket in India to promote Cricket 19 as “the closest to the real thing that a cricket game has ever been.”47 Despite its huge popular appeal, Cricket 19 also faced challenges. The game is only available for consoles and PC and, with the PC version selling for as little as US$1, its monetisation relies on volume – but that volume is constrained by the fact that its operating platforms constitute the smallest segments in the Indian games market. Improvements in infrastructure offer a potential solution to this issue. With the proliferation of 5G, India could leapfrog into cloud gaming whereby remote servers stream games directly to a user's device. This, in turn, would at once remove the barriers traditional consoles currently face and enable the playing of state-of-the- art AAA games on low-cost devices (including mobile phones and set-top boxes).

45 Jon Fung and Richard Honeywood (2012) Best Practices for Game Localization (Toronto: International Game Developers Association), p. 1. http://englobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Best-Practices-for-Game-Localization-v21.pdf 46 Raunak Saha (2020) Could India be the Catalyst for Cricket 19 Breaking into eSports? Technosports. https://technosports. co.in/2020/09/29/could-india-be-the-catalyst-for-cricket-19-breaking-into-esports/ 47 Tristan Ogilvie (2019) Cricket 19 Review IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/05/29/cricket-19-review

18 To capture these opportunities requires regular and meaningful exchange between the Priority Actions industry sectors in both countries. Victoria is already actively promoting such exchanges, in the form of (virtual and physical) inbound and outbound trade missions, roundtables, webinars and conferences that inform about the state of the respective markets, promote the expertise of the Victorian sector and build networks and people-to-people links. Programs can be further developed to expose Indian stakeholders to the Victorian gaming landscape and to conduct matchmaking (similar to how MIGW has been used to for Chinese stakeholders, such as Tencent). Within these initiatives, Global Victoria, Creative Victoria, and IGEA can all play leading roles. 1. Supported by market intelligence and targeted introductions via Global Victoria, Victorian and Indian gaming companies should consider joint ventures or other collaborative efforts that: • Allow Indian studios better insights into the production pipelines of more advanced games with international appeal via complementary Victoria-based skills; • Enable Victorian studios to achieve scale through enhanced production processes supported by Indian talent; and • Assist Victorian developers in entering the Indian market by adapting/designing their games with the help of local partners willing to co-invest. 2. Victorian education providers, with the support of Creative Victoria and Global Victoria, should be encouraged to explore joint activities with Indian counterparts aimed at increasing skills and understanding of the respective markets, including: • Collaborations between education providers to assist Indian students to acquire skills currently not available in India through overseas finishing schools, joint coursework, education/industry collaborations and (paid) internships; and • The development of research capacity and going beyond ‘traditional’ game making and extending into VR and ‘applied games,’ where games technology is used for purposes other than entertainment. The Victorian gaming sector should be aware of the global competition to engage with India. While Victoria does have the advantage of a long history of gaming culture and local game developers producing internationally successful IP, a supportive state government, and other pull factors such as lifestyle and a low Australian dollar, it still faces the challenge of having to compete with other regions that, due to generous government incentives, may be in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities on account of their scale, greater experience with AAA development and the benefits of easier access to capital. The Indian market has been promising tremendous opportunities for years now, and while these will materialise eventually, they are open to any mature games industry. Ultimately, the realisation of opportunities relies on well-informed stakeholders, business partners aligned in outlook and realistic expectations.

19 Appendix A

Australian Video Game Development: An industry snapshot FY 2018-19 Appendix A Australian Video Game Development: An industry snapshot FY 2018-19

Source: IGEA (2019d). Australian Video Game Development: An industry snapshot FY 2018-19. Source: IGEA (2019d).https://igea.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AGD-2019-Infographic-2pp-A4.pdf Australian Video Game Development: An industry snapshot FY 2018-19. 20 https://igea.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AGD-2019-Infographic-2pp-A4.pdf Appendix B Some of Victoria’s most significant and successful games studios: Big Ant A leader of Victoria’s games sector and one of the most influential studios, Big Ant has created games with a distinctly Australian character including 4, Cricket 19 and Big Bash Boom. Makers of the 2019 hit , House House is also a winner of the , the Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards, and the British Academy Games Awards. Firemonkeys One of Australia’s largest game studio, Firemonkeys is owned by the global video games giant Electronic Arts (EA) which continues to develop and support a range of globally popular titles, including games for The Sims and Need for Speed franchises. Wicked Witch A studio with a long history of success over almost two decades, from original games like Puzzle Wiz to distinctly Australian rugby, AFL and cricket games. Hipster Whale One of Australia’s most successful game studios of the past decade, Hipster Whale’s game Crossy Road has been played by over 200 million players. League of Geeks Makers of , a game that combines three styles of play: the tactics of card games with the strategy of tabletop board games, combined with a character RPG system. League of Geeks recently entered a deal with publishing label . Mountains Mountains are the makers of Florence, a game that won international awards for Best Mobile Game, including at the Game Awards, Game Developers Choice Awards and British Academy Games Awards. PlaySide One of Australia’s largest independent game studios, Playside work on original intellectual property and games developed in conjunction with studios such as Disney, Warner Bros and Nickelodeon. Sledgehammer Games Sledgehammer Games is the Australian satellite studio of the acclaimed developer of the Call of Duty games, one of the most successful video games franchises of all time. Tantalus One of Victoria’s oldest game development studios, Tantalus has a 25-year history of working with publishers around the world. Voxel Agents Voxel Agent’s The Gardens Between won Game of The Year at the Australian Game Developers Awards award, the Apple Design Award and the Game Changers Award at Google Play’s Best of 2020 Awards.

21 Appendix C Indian Games Industry Strengths Weaknesses SWOT Analysis • Strong, fast-learning workforce with • Comparatively underdeveloped gaming solid technical skills culture • Long history of successful servicing • Lack of knowledge of the entire international game development studios production pipeline of bigger budget / • Government-driven support initiatives sophisticated games and corresponding such as incubators shortage of skills • Market difficult to monetise due to small monetisation band

Opportunities Threats • Massive market that is yet to realise its • Losing the status of cost effective full potential outsourcing destination as countries • A market that highly values local such as Cambodia catch up content and culture but is yet to fully • Uncertainties regarding the legal experience it in game form regulations of games • Growing e-sports scene • Growing acceptance of games in general (including games seen as viable career paths)

Victorian Games Industry

Strengths Weaknesses • “Punching above its weight” • Lack of federal government incentives • Comparatively mature gaming culture puts Australia at a disadvantage compared and steadily growing industry to other (more) mature industries • Strong international focus due to small • Australia’s conservative investment local market and successful history landscape does not lend itself towards creating globally appealing IP the kind of risk taking that is needed for • Strong state support of game developers international joint ventures and gaming culture (including MIGW) • Growth in industry is occurring from • Talented English-speaking workforce, a comparatively small base and AAA steady supply of (junior) talent, lifestyle production is only just returning (GFC (Melbourne being one of the world’s severely diminished Australia’s AAA most liveable cities), low Australian production as talent and expertise dollar, advantageous time zone moved overseas)

Opportunities Threats • Federal government incentives can help to • Without federal government intervention fully unlock Australia’s / Victoria’s potential the Victorian games industry will and push the industry towards AU$1 continue to lag behind competing billion (with all the associated benefits countries, unable to take advantage of such as a highly skilled innovation-focused international markets as well as more workforce of 10,000 FTEs) sizeable industries in other regions

22 This Very Short Policy Brief was written by Dr Jens Schroeder, Director of Industry Acknowledgements & Member Relations, IGEA (Interactive Games and Entertainment Association) Email: [email protected]. The author thanks Creative Victoria for their support and connections, in particular Fran Kerlin and Stuart Koop for coordinating the contributors to this project and liaising with the Australian roundtable participants, Vidyanand Sagaram from Global Victoria for attracting speakers of considerable expertise to the roundtable and assisting with data and insights, Rajesh Rao for his insights and co-chairing of the roundtable, and Michelle Wade, Commissioner to South Asia at Global Victoria, for assisting with the roundtable. Particular thanks are due to the speakers at the roundtable, for providing their expertise from Indian and Australian perspectives: • Manish Aggarwal, NAZARA • Srinivas BS, ABAI • Manisha Mohan, UPES • Laura Crawford, Swinburne University • Emma Witkowski, RMIT • Joe Wadakethalakal, Mobile Premier League • Manvendra Shukul, Lakshya • Liam Routt, Film Victoria • Ravi Kiran, Go Live Games • TJ Munusamy, Playside Studios • Matt Ditton, Mighty Games • Clara Reeves, Hipster Whale • Ross Symons, Big Ant and to others who supported this paper with their time and insights: • Biren Ghose, Technicolor India • Blake Mizzi, League of Geeks • Daniel Visser, Wicked Witch • Himanshu Khanna, Yoobee School of Design • Sharan Tulsiani, Google

23 24 Also from the Very Short Policy Brief Series: Deepening Partnerships in Disability between Victoria and India Increasing the Online Learning Footprint of Victorian Universities in India India’s National Education Policy Deepening Health Partnerships between Victoria and India Operationalising Liveability in Indian Cities Fostering Links and Partnership Opportunities in Edtech between Victoria and India Improving Sport Governance in India Deepening Connections Between Australian Schools and India Improving E-Waste Management in India Making Digital Rights Count in India Promoting Off-Grid Solar Energy in India Promoting Healthy Food Environments in India Strategies to Expand Hindi Education in Australia Making‘Climate-Smart’Indian Cities India’s New Goods and Services Tax: Implications and Opportunities Promoting India’s Panchayats as Vanguards of Local Climate Adaptation Australia's India Choice: Navigating Strategic Competition between India and China Sustainable Skill Development in India Engaging with India's Higher Education Sector: Pathways to Improved Market Access