On The Floor Presents: Cultivating Creativity in Australia, The Future of Video Games

Lucy O’Brien is an award winning entertainment editor who produces video game and entertainment features, news, videos and reviews for IGN.

She was previously the Product Manager for One2another, Editor of Playstation 3 Magazine Australia, Contract Writer at SIDHE and Senior Writer for NZGamer. 

Nic Watt is the Founder and Creative Director of Nnooo an independent developer and publisher based in Sydney Australia. Nic has worked tirelessly to not only broaden Australian developers reach from PC and iOS to video games consoles, but also support Australian Educational initiatives by working with the Academy of Interactive Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation First initiative.

In his 18 years working in video games Nic has worked on over eighteen software titles across over twelve devices. With a focus on innovation and experimentation many of his games and software have been critically acclaimed and won multiple awards.

Nnooo’s most recent title Blast ‘Em Bunnies has recently been launched simultaneously on all major games consoles around the world.

Giselle has been involved in the Australian games industry since 2007. In 2009 she took on running the Melbourne chapter of the International Game Developers’ Association (IGDA), which she does to this day.

In 2015 she was appointed worldwide Executive Producer of Global Game Jam (GGJ) having run the Melbourne GGJ site since 2011 and been involved at both Executive Committee and Board levels from 2013. As Business Administrator for Crossy Road creators, Hipster Whale, Giselle is based at The Arcade - an independent game development co-working space in Melbourne. 

Giselle was nominated for an Ambassador Award at the Microsoft Women in Games Awards in 2014 and in 2015 awarded Woman of The Year at the inaugural MCV Pacific Women in Games awards, having been a finalist in every category. Giselle is a regular public speaker, particularly with regards to issues related to diversity in games and the Australian games industry.

Scott Ludlam is co-deputy leader of the Australian Greens and is a Senator for WA. He is the spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Communications, Nuclear Issues, Housing and Sustainable Cities.

Senator Scott Ludlam believes that the Federal Government should be doing more to support highly skilled Australian digital experts, commenting ahead of a Senate inquiry due to hand down its findings about the industry.

"Five years ago, Australia had a burgeoning video game development sector employing thousands of talented people in this rapidly growing industry. Internationally, companies have experienced strong growth thanks to smart government support and favourable regulatory settings. In Australia, no such luck: the sector has been treated like the poor cousin of the creative industries, culminating in the Abbott Government's decision to close the $20 million Australian Interactive Games Fund, just 12 months after it was established. This inquiry will help establish what the government should be doing to support Australia's games industry and the employment, economic and creative benefits it delivers to the nation.”

Scott has been a leading voice against the Federal Government's attempt to censor the internet and establish a mandatory data retention scheme. He strengthened protections for public ownership of the National Broadband Network and has campaigned for the fair treatment for Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks publishing organisation.

A former filmmaker, artist and graphic designer by trade, Scott has employed innovative communications tools to help with campaigns. He created the Bike Blackspot App, a smart phone application that enabled bicyclists to lobby for better bike funding.

He blogs at www.fieldnotes.org.au and can be found on twitter at @senatorludlam

Guy Blomberg aka Yug has been a supporter of the Australian gaming scene for over a decade. He has worked in the games industry as a developer, journalist, designer, marketer, and community manager. He was the co-creator of AustralianGamer.com, host and producer of the GameDamage, and the founder of the first videogame cocktail bar – The Mana Bar.

He is currently the Content Manager for the largest games festival in the region – PAX Australia, where he curates over 100 panels and supports the local independent gaming scene via the Aus Indie Showcase and PAX Rising.

Antony Reed is the CEO of the Game Developers’ Association of Australia and a 20-year veteran of the interactive entertainment industry. With global experience in game development and publishing, Antony has been the marketing mind behind many of the world’s biggest games franchises and has won numerous awards for his campaigns.

Today, as the leader of Australia’s peak industry body, Antony advocates the interests of the sector to government, educational, financial and commercial institutions as well as heavily promoting the industry internationally.

Co-Founder and Studio Director, Bafta Award Winning Media Molecule (UK).

In 2013, BBC's Woman's Hour listed her as one of Britain's 100 most powerful women. In 2014, she was awarded Qantas Australian Woman of the Year, and also named in Fortune's 10 most powerful women in gaming.

More recently she was the winner of the Advance Global Australian Awards, which celebrate talented Australians living overseas.