Gamers all over the world play the games created by Ares Dragonis in his home in the central Greek city of Larissa. The 34-year-old was an avid gamer himself as a boy and wondered who designed the graphics and characters of the games he played himself back then, while he also had a talent for drawing. Those two passions are perfectly united in his current profession as a video game developer.
He studied 3D animation, honed his skills in character development, and worked with a number of small game development firms until he launched his own game in 2018. “The Shore” exceeded all expectations, with more than 80,000 sales and some 25 million views on social media.
Dragonis’ story is pretty typical of the Greek industry, which is chiefly composed of freelancers or small groups who also work with companies abroad. “There’s only a handful of us who make a living from this in Greece. Many had to leave the country to find work. But the industry is starting to grow here too,” he says.
Nowhere was this more apparent than at the 2nd Game Developers Meetup, which took place on November 16 in Larissa, where Greek and foreign professionals got together to explore this lucrative industry’s further growth in Greece, a country that still lacks the structures to support such an ecosystem.
“You will find isolated initiatives by people who decide to develop a game and a very few Greek companies that have released games. We are still at a very premature stage, but there’s plenty of talent and willpower,” says the head of the Greek branch of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Christos Bikos, who created the branch when he returned to Greece after spending several years in other parts of Europe designing educational programs for programmers and game developers.
Bikos tells Kathimerini that the association is working hard to promote a strategic plan in cooperation with the state and other agencies for developing the local game industry. “Finland, a small country with a population of 5 million people, has an annual turnover of 2.5 million euros from video games alone – and they managed to achieve this in just 15 years,” he says, noting that neighboring countries like Turkey and Croatia are already reaping the benefits of developing this industry.
Akis Zachariadis, a programmer with extensive experience in game development for international companies, is the CEO of Iphigames, the largest video game publisher in Greece and an official partner of major companies like Nintendo and PlayStation.
His company focuses more on marketing games rather than production itself, although it occasionally provides support in that area as well. “We have talent in Greece. Games are being created. However, a good game is not necessarily a game that will sell,” he tells Kathimerini.
The first Greek games that came out did not do very well, Zachariadis admits, but adds that the more recent releases look set to be a success. The competition is fierce, however, given that some 10,000 computer games have been released worldwide this year alone and just 2% of them generated revenues of more than 2,000 euros. “All of our games belong in that two percentile,” he says. “We’re competing with countries that developed the industry years ago, like France and Spain.”
Seeking incentives
Industry experts say the first thing that is needed to bolster its development is a system of incentives and a simplification of the bureaucracy involved.
“It’s something new for Greece. I’m doing battle over the taxes, the procedures and the red tape. These issues were settled years ago in other countries. No so here, where there’s no one who knows how it all works,” says Zachariadis, explaining how he had to find a specialized accountant to handle the sale of locally produced games on international digital platforms.
He believes that Greece could also become an ideal destination for major companies and game development studios from abroad. Even a small studio, he says, can employ around 50 people and contribute to strengthening the Greek ecosystem by adding expertise and know-how.
“We are a country with sunshine, a good quality of life and hospitality. We take these things for granted, but for a Finn working with people who need the best possible conditions in which to be creative, these are very significant advantages,” says Zachariadis.
Low internet speeds and complicated procedures for starting a business are additional important roadblocks preventing the industry from blossoming, he adds.
Industry professionals also believe that the sector can be significantly boosted if Greece hosts big related events.
“Such events bolster the sense of a local community and provide networking opportunities for Greek developers,” says Theofanis Gavriilidis, a video game marketing professional, adding that the video game community is a global one, without borders, and that such events can also contribute to the domestic tourism industry by bringing visitors from different parts of the world.
One of the organizations supporting efforts to bolster the industry is the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center, which has already helped local producers by introducing a 40% cash rebate as an investment incentive. Bikos says this is a good start, but more needs to be done to actually make a difference. He points to the case of Cyprus, which has been successful in attracting big game developing firms with a whole series of incentives, such as a preferential taxation status for foreign companies.
Ares Dragonis, who is happy with what he is doing and what he’s earning, is already working on his next game and is optimistic about the Greek industry’s future. “Gaming gives you so many possibilities. It’s a great business with lots of room for many different professionals, from programmers to musicians. I am happy because more and more people who are interested in becoming a part of this world are coming to every event we organize.”