Acknowledgement Of Country


We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to the Kulin Elders.

We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded and that it always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.

About The Arcade


Important Notice on The Arcade Melbourne

The Arcade was established in 2013 to form a collaborative workspace for Melbourne game developers and creative companies. The goals of The Arcade were to foster an environment that allowed people to create, collaborate and co-operate while nurturing a diverse and inclusive community.

The Arcade has a very proud history. Many great games were made at The Arcade, many communities were formed, many skills were learned, many networks were established, and many studios that resided at The Arcade have expanded and are still creating amazing products. None of this could have been achieved without the generous support and assistance from Ross Symons of Big Ant and Creative Victoria, The Arcade staff and, of course, the residents of The Arcade.

Following a merger with the GDAA in early 2020, IGEA became responsible for managing The Arcade. Immediately after the merger Covid hit, lockdowns happened, work from home was mandated, and eventually, hybrid work became the order of the day. As this upheaval was happening, the landlord of the premises set about re-purposing the building.

On the back of these challenging circumstances, the lease expiration of the building and the uncertainty that the ongoing covid situation had created around work-spaces, The Arcade in Melbourne was forced to close its physical doors in 2022.

This provided an opportunity for the IGEA team to pause, regroup and examine how we can best meet the current needs and requirements of the local development sector.

IGEA has been working with members and Board to evolve the business model of The Arcade. Adhering to the IGEA pillars of Create, Educate, Advocate and Celebrate, the decision was taken to not immediately re-open a physical space but to direct our resources towards delivering programs and tools that meet the needs of the Australian video games sector, now and into the foreseeable future. For example, one of the biggest challenges currently faced by our members in accessing talent is the need for diverse people to enter and remain in our industry.

The Australian games industry has been on a significant growth trajectory, with even greater growth expected from numerous incentives being introduced.

Recently, some of the work coming out of the virtual Arcade has been directed toward industry development programs, addressing some of the talent issues. Not only do we have our signature events like GCAP and the IGEA Educates Summit, but we have also offered programs such as the S.M.A.R.T program and the SAE student program.

The S.M.A.R.T program was a collaboration with The Arcade and the City of Port Phillip which offered support and mentoring to early-career developer, creating an accessible entry point to our diverse game development community as well as financial assistance for marginalised or low-income game developers.

The SAE Student Program facilitated by The Arcade has connected students to the Victorian game development sector via specialised educational events, networking opportunities and bespoke feedback sessions in order to help them prepare for a successful career in game development.

IGEA is committed to delivering value for our members and abides by our mission statement “to be the backbone of an evolving, thriving, video games industry; one that inspires, captivates and allows for positive connections and exciting opportunities for all.”

Based on the successes of these targeted programs and a renewed focus on industry development, IGEA will develop similar and scalable projects to meet industry needs. This does not mean closing the door on The Arcade permanently, but taking the learnings and programs developed at The Arcade and applying them wherever they are needed most.

Programs


Upskilling and growth in the gaming industry is a core focus for The Arcade.

Student Engagement Program

For over 5 years, The Arcade has run a successful student engagement program with education institutes that run top of the line game development courses, and their students that are undertaking their final year of game development study.

This has mutually benefitted both the partnering education institute and The Arcade by not only creating top tier graduates who become the first choice for hiring studios inside and outside but also spawning studios directly out of the program.

The program consists of a variety of bespoke events, natural networking opportunities and targeted feedback sessions.

As of 2021 our Official Education Partner for the Student Engagement Program is SAE Creative Media Institute.

SAE and The Arcade work closely on this program to ensure that final year game design students are provided with industry immersion and professional development opportunities.

Education Partner:

SMART program

The Arcade is thrilled to announce the SMART Program!

The South Melbourne Arcade Residency Tenure (SMART) Program is an assistive residency placement within The Arcade Melbourne, powered by City of Port Phillip.

The SMART Program aims to help early-career individuals have the opportunity to hotdesk out of The Arcade that might not otherwise have the financial means to attend.

The intention of this program is to help foster the production of game development within the City of Port Phillip, create a more accessible entry point to our diverse game developer community and to assist in financial pipelines for marginalised or low income game developers.

We want to pave the way for the next generation of talented developers by facilitating access to the learning, networking and engagement opportunities that naturally occur within The Arcade.
Thanks to the generous support of City of Port Phillip, the SMART program will allow a select number of amazing applicants access to The Arcade’s open plan hotdesking area for a number of months.

Find out more and how to apply here:

https://igea.net/2021/08/the-arcade-announces-the-smart-program/

The first intake of applications are now closed.

Getting in Touch


Thank you for your interest in The Arcade. The best way to stay up to date with Arcade events and programs is to follow us on twitter @TheArcadeMelb.