West Australian game developers will be offered grants and business training in an attempt by the state to create a foothold in the $93 billion worldwide industry.

The Film and Television Institute [FTI] said a lack of government funding meant there were few viable production companies in WA, forcing emerging game developers to move interstate or overseas.

FTI has announced two $5,000 grants and a $10,000 grant along with mentoring and business development packages to provide opportunities to local game developers.

Director of interactive programs at FTI Kate Raynes-Goldie said there was no reason the local industry should not establish itself on the world stage.

"It's really hard for local people to reach that global market without that kind of stepping stone to get there," she said.

"And you can see the success of having that kind of funding in Victoria, where they do have state-level funding and that's where 40 per cent of Australian game development happens, because they have that help.

"There's so much happening right now in the games industry locally, but it's very hard for people to take it to the next level because they don't have that initial funding."

Survey uncovers challenges facing gaming industry

FTI's gaming development grants followed a survey undertaken earlier this year, which found several challenges facing local game developers, including a limited number of game studios.

Survey respondents also said they did not have enough business skills to make their studios viable.

But Dr Raynes-Goldie said the biggest barrier facing the industry was a lack of government support.

West Australian game developer Jacob Janerka discovered first hand how difficult it was to get a game off the ground.

He used crowd funding to raise $35,000 so he could finish his game Paradigm.

The game has since received global acclaim, but Dr Raynes-Goldie said not many West Australians could boast such a success story.

"He told me he had to put in about 3,000 hours of work to get the game to a point he could start to raise money," she said.

"That's a really high entry barrier to work for free, so getting that funding to help people take time off work or quit their jobs or go part time to create their game is really critical."