Video games in New Zealand

In New Zealand, 67% of the population plays video games, 46% of video game players are female and the average age of a video game player is 34. New Zealanders spend an average of 88 minutes a day playing video games.^[1]

As of 31 March 2020, the New Zealand video game development industry employed 747 full-time game developers and New Zealand studios earned $323.9 million in revenue, of which 96% came from international audiences.^[2] In addition, New Zealand consumers spent $501.4m on video games in 2019.^[3] Despite the difference in population size, New Zealand game development is comparable to Australia's, in terms of revenue and employment.^[4]

Industry bodies for video games in New Zealand include the New Zealand Game Developers Association, which supports video game developers, and the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association, which represents publishers and platforms.

New Zealand was an early adopter of the video game phenomenon, despite its remoteness.^[5] Many Atari 2600 titles were assembled under licence by Monaco Distributors in Auckland.^[6] New Zealand developed its own Pong-style game console, the Sportronic, in the late 1970s, as a result of import licensing laws.^[7][8]

The development of games in New Zealand was continued in the 1980s and 90s. Notable games include Laser Hawk, which was developed for Atari 8-bit computers in 1986 by Andrew Bradfield and Harvey Kong Tin, and Super Skidmarks, which was released for the Amiga in 1995 and was developed by Auckland-based company Acid Software.

Although a minor player in the global video gaming industry, New Zealand has had success with homegrown game developers. Sidhe, the largest game studio in New Zealand, have developed a number of sports games, including several titles in the Rugby League series. Dinosaur Polo Club developed Mini Metro. The action RPG Path of Exile, perhaps the best-known New Zealand game, was developed by Grinding Gear Games and released in 2013, enjoying international success. The video game series Bloons was made by the New Zealand company Ninja Kiwi.

The New Zealand Game Developers Association was formed in 2001 to support the development of games in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Game Developers Conference is held annually.^[9] The New Zealand Games Festival^[10] is held in Wellington around Easter each year and includes several events including the Play By Play conference and The Pavs, the New Zealand Games Awards. There are many regular Meetups in cities nationwide.^[11]

The Game Masters exhibition was held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa from 15 December 2012 through to 28 April 2013. The Arcade:Homegrown Video Games exhibition was held at Dowse Art Museum from 10 Nov 2012 – 24 Feb 2013 and then toured nationally.^[12]

The rise of digital platforms has seen independent studios publish video games worldwide, including Rainbite and Screenshock Games, each consisting of developers trained at Media Design School in Auckland.

In 2003, Manhunt became the first video game officially banned in New Zealand.^[13] In 2004, Postal 2 and its demo were banned on the basis of gross and abhorrent content.^[14]

• New Zealand Game Developers Association
• More than a Craze: Photographs of New Zealand's early digital games scene
• Early Games Production in New Zealand, Melanie Swalwell, 2005
• WellPlayed's tag list (For New Zealand-made games. WellPlayed is an Australian gaming media outlet with a focus on AU/NZ games.)
• New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence (CODE) news page (Regular updates of new game developers & funding are available here)