Pixels and perspectives: comparing the approaches of small video game developers in Australia and Japan

Jacqueline Burgess; Douglas Schules; Alexander Muscat; Anthony Grace; Christian M Jones

doi:10.1080/17510694.2026.2719406

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Pixels and perspectives: comparing the approaches of small video game developers in Australia and Japan

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Pixels and perspectives: comparing the approaches of small video game developers in Australia and Japan

Jacqueline Burgess, Douglas Schules, Alexander Muscat, Anthony Grace and Christian M Jones

Creative Industries Journal, Vol.Advanced access

20-Aug-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17510694.2026.2719406

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Abstract

Graphics, augmented reality and games

Marketing

Animation, video games and computer generated imagery services

indie developers

doujin

video game industry

video game developers

Australia

Japan

indie

This study compares small video game developers in Australia and Japan to shed light on both industries and advance knowledge of local production contexts. Australia’s national industry is marginal, while Japan is considered a global leader in the video game industry. However, there has been limited research exploring Japan’s smaller video game developers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 Australian and 12 Japanese developers and analysed using thematic analysis. Despite existing in a marginal ecosystem, this study found that the small Australian video game developers demonstrated more commercial mindsets and focus than the small Japanese video game developers. Contextual factors unique to each country were behind this difference. This research contributes by adding to understandings of Australian and Japanese video game production contexts, and identifying structural and cultural differences, to advance knowledge of the global games industry.

Details

Title: Pixels and perspectives: comparing the approaches of small video game developers in Australia and Japan
Authors: Jacqueline Burgess (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Douglas Schules (Author) - Rikkyo University
Alexander Muscat (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Anthony Grace (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Christian M Jones (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Creative Industries Journal, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Routledge
DOI: 10.1080/17510694.2026.2719406
ISSN: 1751-0708
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Grants: Understanding Marketing Knowledge in the Australian Video Game Industry, 0980027595, University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC
Organisation Unit: School of Business and Creative Industries; Work, Live and Play Research Cluster; Engage Research Lab
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991252199402621
Output Type: Journal article

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