Press release from Digital Sydney
Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner last night launched Digital Sydney, promoting NSW as the Asia-Pacific's leading digital economy location.
Mr Stoner announced the NSW Government would support 20 Digital Media Initiative projects to help build the State's creative digital content capability, particularly in electronic games.
"NSW has the major share of Australia's digital industry but needs to build its share of the high value electronic games sector which will increasingly be involved in not just entertainment but the development of serious games in sectors like e-health and education," Mr Stoner said.
Turning the stereotype of games upside down, one of the projects we are supporting is Hear Right Now, an online serious game which detects hearing loss in children.
Hear Right Now is a collaboration between a digital agency, media producer and the country's first indigenous surgeon, ear, nose and throat specialist Associate Professor Kelvin Kong, and we are delighted to be helping them make it a reality.
Proving that regional NSW can also benefit from a growth in the digital media sector, another project supported by the NSW Government is Terminus, a game to be produced by Queanbeyan-based start-up company Uppercut Games.
"The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is working on plans to encourage and expand the local venture capital market to provide greater capital opportunities for emerging sectors." Mr Stoner said Digital Sydney will market NSW as a hub for digital companies, promote digital collaborations between the ICT and creative sectors, and help expand the digital marketplace in NSW.
"Digital Sydney will promote NSW as the Asia-Pacific's leading digital business and investment location, with Sydney its epicentre and supported by our innovative regions," Mr Stoner said.
Digital Sydney brands our city as smart and sophisticated, helping enable, facilitate and support activities that can create and sustain digital economy jobs.
Furthermore, it will target new investment and the uptake of new technology to keep us at the cusp of global digital developments. Mr Stoner announced that Surry Hills agency Ascender Design was the winner of a $10,000 public design competition to develop the visual identity for Digital Sydney, using a dynamic multi-coloured pixelated ribbon to capture the essence of NSW's creative digital economy.
Digital Sydney Advisory Team leader Hael Kobayashi emphasised the importance of branding Sydney and NSW as a world centre of the knowledge economy by showcasing its digital success stories.
"A Digital Sydney website – www.digitalsydney.com – has been promoted virally through social media to encourage the digital and creative communities to get on board," Mr Kobayashi said.
The website will highlight NSW strengths by profiling successful entrepreneurs, leaders, innovators and artists who have chosen this State as their base, promoting digital industry events, and serving as a platform to build new business collaborations across our creative and ICT sectors.
The Digital Sydney website includes an interactive map that geographically plots our digital business hot-spots to raise awareness and encourage cluster investment.
A Digital Sydney showreel will showcase NSW digital strengths during CeBIT Australia, the Vivid Festival and globally.The Chief Executive of the Games Developers Association of Australia Antony Reed said the Digital Media Initiative helps position NSW as the country's leading supporter of digital media enterprises.
"There is no doubt NSW will see exponential growth in the sector in the years to come. I also believe that there will be increased investment interest in NSW as a result of this initiative," Mr Reed said.
Last night's Opera House launch of Digital Sydney proved an exciting curtain-raiser to today's opening of CeBIT Australia, the Asia-Pacific's largest ICT exhibition at Darling Harbour.