Online Games Kick-off
According to Vietnam Software Association (Vinasa), Vietnam will have 83 games producers by 2010 and each company will have average annual revenues of US$1 million. The Vietnamese-made games will account for 50 per cent, up from the current 25 per cent. An upcoming circular, which covers the management of online games, is a basis for the development of the games industry.
Experience from South Korea
The report “What Vietnam can learn from South Korea in developing games industry” by Mr. LEO Hwa Chiang, KiPa iPark Singapore, which was read at the seminar on digital entertainment industry construction in Vietnam with the ISGAF 2006 framework, said: To develop this special industry, South Korea focused on developing infrastructure and human resources, and reducing Internet fees to the minimal level. Not only games manufacturers but supporting industries also gained high revenues. The games revenues reached US$2 billion per annum in recent years.
At present, there are about 600 games developers in South Korea and they bring 3-4 games softwares onto the market each year. The productivity is so low if compared with other software sectors. However, the digital entertainment industry in South Korea is still developing very strongly thanks to supports from the Government, related organisations and the community. In South Korea, China or Japan, online games are e-sports. Leo affirmed: Japan, South Korea and Malaysia develop digital entertainment industry not only for the domestic market but also for export.
A good start for Vietnam
The Vietnamese Government has created favourable conditions for the development of this industry. The Ministry of Posts and Telematics (MPT), the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Ministry of Public Security issued the Online Games Management Circular on June 01, 2006. Mr. Le Hong Minh, president of VinaGame Co. – the owner of the most favourite
Vo Lam Truyen Ky, (a m
assively multiplayer role playing online game), said the upcoming circular will help enterprises develop online games on the right track.
According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, director of the IT Industry Deaprtment under the MPT, the ministry will facilitate the games online development. He said, apart from the legal corridor, MPT is mapping out the applied IT development orientation, supporting Vinasa to construct the Software Institute to develop human resources and building telecom infrastructure for the development of the games online industry. Besides the government, venture investment funds like IDG Venture also express their interest in games online development.
According to IDG Venture’s report, the IT, internet and games skills of Vietnamese people are quite high in the region. Mr. Trinh Thanh Lam, Public Sector and Education Director of Microsoft Vietnam, the growth of the bandwidth internet subscription, mobile phone and high tech products is very high in Vietnam. This is an advantage for Vietnam to develop the games online industry.
At present, Vietnam has some 10 games developers. Vinasa forecasted that the number of games developers would increase 70 per cent a year. Hence, by 2010, Vietnam will have 83 games producers and each company will have at least one commercial product. Vinasa assumes that if 20,000 play a game and each gamer pays US$50 a year, the total revenues of the domestic games industry will reach US$83 million. At present, 75 per cent of games in Vietnam is imported but the market share of Vietnamese games will be 50 per cent by 2010, or a growth of 5 per cent a year.
Nguyen Thoa
Vietnamese
