Before you all start to leave due to the political nature of this news, you should be aware that it could have a massive impact on the hobby you love. Speaking in an interview with gi.biz, Labour MP – Tom Watson – has said that plans for a UK Games Council preferably need to be in place before the next general election so that the government will no longer be able to “ignore the games industry”.
If you are unaware of Tom Watson by name, you are more than likely to know of his work in supporting the UK games industry via such things as the Gamer’s Voice Facebook group. The campaign, which now has over 15,000 members, was set-up without any expectations; now that it has proven itself as a popular cause, Watson has promised that he will push it further with hopes for it to become “the equivalent in gaming of what the Football Supporters’ Association is in football”.
The UK Game Council idea is just a rough plan at present but he explains that if TIGA and ELSPA get to work on the concept now, then they will have something that they can put before the different political parties. If this can be sorted before the next general election it becomes a real entity that can be included in both Labour’s and the Conservative’s manifestos.
But what would a UK Games Council actually provide for the industry? Watson explains:
We can really think about what the long term interests are for the industry: skills, training, job, publishing, copyright…and a Games Council would mean that the government can’t ignore the games industry. It’s part of the machinery. I’d like to see the government go down that route – I don’t know whether they will yet, but I think it would benefit the industry and I think it would benefit the understanding of the industry by government.
It would work in a similar fashion as the UK Film Council, which has helped boost the profile and portfolio of British films.
You can read the full interview with Tom Watson at gi.biz.
