‘People have no idea how big a deal it is’: the people pushing Australian gaming forward

From presenter and critic Stephanie 'Hex' Bendixsen to 3D animator Delaney King, these are some of the faces behind the multibillion-dollar games industry

More than 70% of Australians play video games, and I'm one of them. With its spread from computers to TVs to mobile phones, the global games industry is now worth over $100bn, with an Australian market alone worth $3bn.

But the value of games goes beyond just money. Interactive entertainment and the "serious games" that share lessons and skills have psychological and social benefits. We play to bond with other players, to build communities, to learn, to experience worlds beyond our imagination, and - as in the Dionysian theatres of old - to enjoy a temporary catharsis and channel feelings that otherwise preoccupy us into something vicarious.