Beyond Demos: Building a Real Game Industry in Kansas

In the games industry, we work in a pipeline, its a necessity because of the complexity of problems we solve on a day to day basis. We optimize as we go, we think 10 steps ahead, we organize complex assets, all of this over a long grueling schedule.

We are usually building products we aren’t sure if they’re going to win or fail, and if they fail, do we get to make another or do we shutter the studio windows and turn the lights off. So many studios over the last couple of years have done this. Across the 2022–2026 video game industry layoffs, an estimated 45,000 jobs have been lost, and other job markets aren’t much better off.

The Reality of AI, Demos, and Real Art

In comes the government. Games aren’t going away, in fact, everyone can make them now, were going to see a boom of games. Not everyone can make a good game though, or finish one, or polish a finished one. That’s the difference between a real game and a demo, why there is still an industry, albeit one that’s been knocked on its butt.

In the AI world we live in now, any sniff of AI use is down-voted into oblivion, especially in Art. If you are an artist, you are arguably one of the most important members of the team now, you are highly skilled, you have a voice that will market a game to riches, and you should make what you deserve.

Opening the Door in Unrepresented States

This is where the state steps in to try and build some structural footing. Initiatives like the Kansas Film and Digital Media Production Development Act (HB 2038) and SB 52 aim to provide real tools for professional studios,including tax credits for production costs and sales tax exemptions on hardware and software.

What is exciting about these programs in Kansas and other states is that it could ease out the volatility of game development so more good games can be made by professionals in states that were previously un-represented, states with affordable living like Kansas.