The Federal Government has announced the appointment of Johanna Egger and Morgan Jaffit to the Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO) Advisory Board, with both appointed to three-year terms.

The advisory board is tasked with providing advice to the Government on applications to the DGTO, which itself is designed to support the local digital games development industry.

The Digital Games Tax Offset (DGTO) offers a 30 per cent refundable tax offset to eligible games developers that spend a minimum of $500,000 on qualifying Australian development expenditure.

“Australia has a proud history of game development – going back decades,” said Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, commenting on the appointments.

“We want to make sure its future is just as bright. As one of the fastest-growing industries in Australia, we need the right people involved to continue to foster its growth and development.

“Johanna and Morgan have been at the centre of the gaming and digital creative industries for decades and will bring a wealth of expertise to the Board.”

Egger is managing director, Family & Kids at Two Bulls/DEPT, a digital product studio, and previously worked as a digital producer at Sesame Workshop. She is currently a board member of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association.

Jaffit is a founder and director of Australian-run game studios Spitfire Interactive and Defiant Development, and currently supports Weta Workshop as a consulting executive.

He is also a veteran of the industry and brings with him more than 20 years’ experience in developing games across different console platforms, including mobile and PC.