Dr. Jeff Brand, author of the recent Interactive Australia 2007 report, has had a chat to Gamespot recently, to talk about his thoughts on the future of Aussie gaming.
There’s some interesting takes on what the future holds in here, and it’s well worth the read. When asked on what he thought the most important ‘finding’ of the report was, Dr. Brand said the following:
I think the highlight is that gaming is now mainstream. The old myth that games are a fringe medium isn't holding water at all. We've seen an increase in households in Australia that have games devices from 76 percent in 2005 to 79 percent in 2007. That's very good growth, and it means that basically most households have a game device. The other thing I think is very critical is that gaming is social, thanks to the Internet and some really great products by some game companies. The digital world is becoming a digital playground that allows us to play together. And I think it's really cool that gamers seem to think that games are a more positive aspect of our lives [than do] non-gamers... It just shows me that ignorance isn't bliss. If you don't know about gaming, you fear it.
Catch the entire interview at the following link.