Eidos Exec: Games Regarded Just Above Porn by U.K. Govt.
Eidos Exec: Games Regarded Just Above Porn by U.K. Govt.
October 23, 2008
The British government views its nation's video game industry as "one notch up from pornography," according to an Eidos exec.
The Guardian reports on comments made by Ian Livingstone (left), Eidos' creative director and head of acquisitions.
Livingstone also criticized the U.K. government's refusal to offer tax incentives to game developers:
We've recently slipped from third to fourth in world development behind Canada. We're now the most expensive country in the world in which to develop. Other countries – not just Canada, but two states in the US, Scandinavian countries, France, Singapore, Korea and others – offer salary subsidies...
It seems to me the UK government would rather see our great industry go into decline than help it maintain its prominent position in the world, and that is madness...
We're still seen as the red-headed stepchild of the creative industries, one notch up from pornography in the eyes of most of the establishment. They forget that half of the world and half of the UK's population play games. Games help define who we are as human beings – they are as important, culturally and socially, as music and films.
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GamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 03/09/10 at 10:41pm
gellymatos: Vald: I responded to the DRM comment.
gellymatos: Vald: I responded to the DRM comment.
Posted 03/09/10 at 10:18pm
nightwng2000: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/03/the_single_best_reason_to_pass.html
nightwng2000: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/03/the_single_best_reason_to_pass.html
Posted 03/09/10 at 10:16pm
nightwng2000: So, if the Health Care plan passes, Rush Limbaugh will go to Costa Rica for his health care? Which has scoialized medicine?
nightwng2000: So, if the Health Care plan passes, Rush Limbaugh will go to Costa Rica for his health care? Which has scoialized medicine?
Posted 03/09/10 at 05:21pm
ZippyDSMlee: bbwwaaiiinnsssss *shuffle shuffle*
ZippyDSMlee: bbwwaaiiinnsssss *shuffle shuffle*
Posted 03/09/10 at 04:35pm
Valdearg: Responded.
Valdearg: Responded.
Posted 03/09/10 at 04:31pm
Valdearg: Indeed you did. I'll get to it in a moment.
Valdearg: Indeed you did. I'll get to it in a moment.
Posted 03/09/10 at 04:27pm
gellymatos: Vald: Responded to your DRM comment.
gellymatos: Vald: Responded to your DRM comment.
Posted 03/09/10 at 03:36pm
Valdearg: @AE: Aww.. But I like Balloons.. @Pete: In all honesty, I missed it the first 2 times I read the sentence, so I'd probably be a poor editor, haha. I just happened to glance down and see it. :P
Valdearg: @AE: Aww.. But I like Balloons.. @Pete: In all honesty, I missed it the first 2 times I read the sentence, so I'd probably be a poor editor, haha. I just happened to glance down and see it. :P
Posted 03/09/10 at 03:29pm
pete_gallagher: lol, owned
pete_gallagher: lol, owned
Posted 03/09/10 at 03:21pm
Andrew Eisen: Like hell that's going to happen. That unlimited supply of ECA balloons is mine. Mine, you hear? Mine!
Andrew Eisen: Like hell that's going to happen. That unlimited supply of ECA balloons is mine. Mine, you hear? Mine!
Posted 03/09/10 at 03:17pm
pete_gallagher: thanks vald, i fixy. you trying to take AE's job? :P
pete_gallagher: thanks vald, i fixy. you trying to take AE's job? :P
Posted 03/09/10 at 02:59pm
Valdearg: @Pete: Typo in your update: "The HAIHONGCHANG is black and ->quiet<- realisitic looking... I assuming you meant quite?
Valdearg: @Pete: Typo in your update: "The HAIHONGCHANG is black and ->quiet<- realisitic looking... I assuming you meant quite?
Posted 03/09/10 at 11:24am
Andrew Eisen: Also, no one has yet made a "Vidja Games!!" argument. The parents have only offered an explanation as to why the kid picked the gun up in the first place. Nothing I’ve read gives me the sense that the parents are shirking responsibility and blaming a toy.
Andrew Eisen: Also, no one has yet made a "Vidja Games!!" argument. The parents have only offered an explanation as to why the kid picked the gun up in the first place. Nothing I’ve read gives me the sense that the parents are shirking responsibility and blaming a toy.
Posted 03/09/10 at 11:21am
Andrew Eisen: From what I understand, there is a federal law that requires toy guns to have an orange tip in the barrel but a Wii remote shell might not be subject to it. Either way, this particular peripheral is manufactured by a Chinese third party company.
Andrew Eisen: From what I understand, there is a federal law that requires toy guns to have an orange tip in the barrel but a Wii remote shell might not be subject to it. Either way, this particular peripheral is manufactured by a Chinese third party company.
Posted 03/09/10 at 10:41am
Valdearg: Though, this revelation should shift the argument from "Vidja Games!!" to realistic gun toys, no matter what media they are used in. I won't hold my breath, though..
Valdearg: Though, this revelation should shift the argument from "Vidja Games!!" to realistic gun toys, no matter what media they are used in. I won't hold my breath, though..
Posted 03/09/10 at 10:39am
Valdearg: I thought Nintendo designed all of it's accessories to be white and as unrealistic as possible..
Valdearg: I thought Nintendo designed all of it's accessories to be white and as unrealistic as possible..
Posted 03/09/10 at 10:39am
SimonBob: Yeah, isn't that why they had to change the original Zapper from grey to orange?
SimonBob: Yeah, isn't that why they had to change the original Zapper from grey to orange?
Posted 03/09/10 at 10:39am
Valdearg: ...Wow... That gives this whole Wii shooting thing a whole new view. I can't imagine that wii gun being legally sold, here.
Valdearg: ...Wow... That gives this whole Wii shooting thing a whole new view. I can't imagine that wii gun being legally sold, here.
Posted 03/09/10 at 10:36am
Rodrigo Ybáñez García: It was made on China. I understand that is illegal to make realistic gun toys on the USA, am I right?
Rodrigo Ybáñez García: It was made on China. I understand that is illegal to make realistic gun toys on the USA, am I right?
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
*sigh* Sadly he had a good point. UK has been terrible onto the video game industries. It is a miracle that developers are still there...
Yeah, and there is only one that comes to mind when I think about the UK...
Sony has a few studios here (Sony Liverpool makes Wipeout), Rockstar have three branches I think here, including Rockstar North in Scotland which develop the GTA games, Eidos are here as the article pointed out..
Oh, and Lionhead (Peter Molyneaux, Fable/The Movies etc)
But when compared to other countries like Germany and Canada we've got nothing, and the USA is just ridiculously high up in terms of games development.
yeah media molecule are based in guildford london too, near lionhead
and LBP is an AMAZING game.
As a 3rd yea student game developer (about to go out into the big wide workd of employment in the games industry) its shocking that im (as a BRITISH born developer) already looking abroad (canada mainly) at positions for employment.
heed my words, britains game industry talent will NOT stay here for much longer if other countries keep becoming cheaper and cheaper to develop in, and continue to offer more and more respect to gaming as a valid industry both artistically and commercially.
I was thinking about HQ's...
Theres a whole bunch of places that make mobile games and flash games, just far less of the console and pc games these days. Real shame because we used to have such a front seat in the industry when it was starting up. But as for the more recognisable names beyond Rockstar, there is Realtime Worlds, Cohort Studios, Black Company, I-Play, Denki, Proper Games, Genuine Games, Tag, Dynamo, Claymore, Digital Goldfish, Cobra, Slam and I'm sure many more.
Why have I NEVER heard of any of those?
"Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance." -Laurie Halse Anderson
What about Rare? You must have heard of them!
Ouch. Well, that bites. It's unfortunate that they're looked down upon that way. I wonder how much longer the negative view of gaming will last? I'm sure there were always be some sort of stigma to it, just like things like metal and rock music still have. But it'd be nice if they at least recognized it as a legitimate industry.
I really don't get this. Where is the link between the lack of tax breaks and being treated like porn? It hardly as if the UK gives direct sectoral tax incentives to many industries - are the vast majority of industries then treated like porn?
Until the industry can come up with a more convincing argument than this they are never going to win over the politicians and get any support.
He was referring more towards the attitude of politicians. They're all from the older generation and so there's probably only a handful out of almost a thousand (MPs and Lords) who play games. Indeed, here in the UK it seems to be almost a culturual attitude to look down on games. Parents aren't willing to play anything deeper than a round of Wii Tennis with their kids and so that creates the image that they're toys for young kids.
Hence Gordon Brown wanted to do something about getting them banned in order to look like a paternal caring man, but the report he comissioned came out unequivically against it.
It's only a temporary thing. The average politician is 40-60, just above the average age of a gamer. As time goes on, more politicians who are gamers will come to power, just as gaming will continue to increase. When that happens, a lot of the stigma and misinformation clung to by the current order will simply melt away.
The UK fails. When the politicians do this, how come nobody stands up to them?
--- Official Protector of Videoland!
Sheer apathy caused by Westminster's apparent inability to grasp anything going on outside their own little sleazy network.
Isn't the average age of gamers 30? So it's hardly their business even if they sincerly believe so.
What IS IT with the British and video games?
What IS IT with dickheads and gross generalisations?
Britain has produced some of the best games ever made and it really is sad that they don't get the recognition they deserve as a serious and economically important industry in the way that films & art do.
Then again, weren't the Codemasters Darling brothers recently knighted for services to the industry? Maybe they can call up their new mate Queen Liz & have a word to her about this.
Hmm if games & porn are almost on the same level, who will the queen honour next? Sir Peter North? Dame Jenna Jameson?
"With this sword I now dub thee... hey Jenna, you're not supposed to SWALLOW it!"
"one notch up from pornography,"
What does that mean exactly? Seriously.
It means our politicians don't value computer games as cultural or a worthy activity.
I thought it meant most British politicians secretly play video games and love them even more than their porn ;)
I think the ironic difference is that most politicians probably watch porn but would never be caught playing a game.
It means if you pull on the rope of society connected to the pully of government, then the gear of political correctness connected to gaming is only one notch away from porn.
It's an interesting point. Although it's curious that he used one of the few remaining areas of socially acceptable bigotry (red-headed) to make his point...
I don't really see the problem with that phrase. Families used to be ashamed of redheaded children, so the metaphor works perfectly. Also, since games are great, he's hinting that the figurative redheaded child is of far greater value than meets the eyes of the parents.
It's not like he's saying "burn all gingers" or something..
Yeah! Take THAT, pr0n! In your FACE!
(On second thought, no, maybe not in your face. Eww.)
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I AM DOOMED TO HAUNT JACK THOMPSON'S DREAMS UNTIL HIS CRUSADE AGAINST VIDEO GAMES ENDS.