New Look Interactive Games & Entertainment Association Launches

Interactive Games & Entertainment Association to Cater to Evolving Industry

Sydney, August 26, 2009 – The Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) has today announced that it has changed its name and constitution to better represent the evolving interactive entertainment industry. The Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA) will be more targeted in its focus to build a stronger relationship with its members, the business community and government.

Video games are now played in 88 per cent of Australian homes and the industry has recorded momentous growth in recent years reaching sales bordering on $2 billion.

According to Ron Curry, CEO of the iGEA, the size of the interactive entertainment industry has grown and the offerings of its members had also changed; both factors mean the industry must now cater for a much broader audience than before.

“The industry has evolved dramatically and video games are a form of entertainment now enjoyed by an extremely broad range of Australians. The new focus of the iGEA will further take into account the fact that interactive entertainment is now accessed by consumers through a much wider range of entertainment devices and that the devices themselves offer greater entertainment options. Our focus is to ensure that our organisation remains relevant as we continue to see further convergence and divergence across all forms of entertainment.”

“As an industry body, we need to keep abreast of how interactive entertainment impacts social, statutory and regulatory changes and more importantly, how we respond to these changes. We also have a responsibility to our members to constantly review our performance and make the necessary adjustments to ensure maximum value and relevance. We believe that the iGEA will now better reflect the industry as it continues to develop.”

The iGEA will also launch a new website built on powerful social software tools which provide easy access to a wide range of materials on the site and forums for community discussion. The new site which can be found at www.igea.net aims to become a central hub of tools and resources for players, parents and students, as well as industry and government organisations.