Malaysian Games Industry meltdown

The Malaysian Games Industry has been dealt a serious blow following the closure of John Galt Games.  A shock I am sure to many of its’ employees when negotiations seem to be going well for its’ preservation. This is going to be hard time for our industry, which has been suffering greatly from it’s fragmentation between independant companies.

My personal opinion on the industry is as follows:

    * Poor cooperation between local companies to grow their market. Unlike our Australian counterparts, we often fail to want to ‘help’ grow the local market. This is often a very Asian way of thinking about things, very much protectionist and doesn’t usually end well.
    * Lack of skills sets. We often have to take what we can get. Both technical and artistically, you can earn a better living NOT making  games.
    * Lack of stamina. People don’t seem to be very passionate over a long term about doing their own their stuff. Short term spurts are there but developing a product let alone a company could take over 2 years. That sort of drive is rarely seen in individuals i’ve met.
    * Funding. There are funds out there but mostly government funds. Company must eventually figure out how to cut the umbillical cords from them to grow properly and that means private investment. Very few companies out there invest in content even if they should. Telco’s come immediately to mind.
    * No regional market. No way to grow a company locally. This can be offset by figuring out how to monetize early but countires like Korea, US, Japan can grow because of their ability to tap their local markets.