EGTV Examines State of UK Gaming

EGTV Examines State of UK Gaming

May 5, 2010

The latest episode of Eurogamer’s EGTV show is entitled The Videogames Election and scrutinizes just how important—and necessary, perhaps—government support is to the UK games industry.

The piece features interviews with pro-game MP Tom Watson, ELSPA’s Michael Rawlinson, Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios, EA Sports President Peter Moore and TIGA’s Richard Wilson, among others.

Rawlinson took time in the piece to note a toning down in the anti-game rhetoric from MP Keith Vaz, who reacted some years ago to the UK’s Manhunt tragedy with a call to ban all violent videogames. When responding to the violent scene from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Vaz wanted to ensure that the game could not fall into the hands of children, to which Rawlinson replied, “That’s our message.”

The UK’s historic contribution to the beginning of game development is covered as well, sandwiched around segments that lament the UK’s current free-fall among countries producing games. By some accounts, the UK now ranks fourth in the world, behind the U.S. Japan and Canada.

Eurogamer visited developer David Braben of Frontier Developments, who stated:

We (the UK) essentially led the world right at the start… A lot of the people I know from then are still in the industry and are still doing very well, but they are in California, they are in Montreal… they are all around the world. Very few have stayed in the UK.

Watson questioned the British Broadcasting Corporation’s commitment to gaming, noting that it has spent a billion pounds on their websites since 1994, adding, “They could have breathed life into a lot of small game companies." He continued, "I’m not blaming the BBC, because all this is new and fast moving.”

BBC Children’s Head of Interactive Marc Goodchild said that games are “absolutely a core part of what we do.” He added, “As a public service organization, I think we do have a responsibility to make sure that we’re helping support the creative industries in the UK.”

ECA IconA PUBLICATION OF THE ECA RSS IconSUBSCRIBE User LoginLOGIN / REGISTER

Crispy Gamer




       

GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 09/07/10 at 11:20pm
PHX Corp: My Dog, sparky Just Passed away as of 12mid, of old age.
Posted 09/07/10 at 07:45pm
PHX Corp: @cheater I took it to the back so everyone can point and laugh at his team rocket style quest(Which fails Often)
Posted 09/07/10 at 05:30pm
Cheater87: Jack Thompson seeks to ban MOH
Posted 09/07/10 at 01:48pm
E. Zachary Knight: Indie developers are being strong armed by the S. Korean rating system to get their games rated.
Posted 09/07/10 at 12:05pm
Andrew Eisen: I disagree that it's sexist. I think she's reading a bit too much into it. That said, while the story in and of itself is fine, even good, the writing is atrocious.
Posted 09/07/10 at 09:19am
ZippyDSMlee: BearDogg-X:Fusion was a bit meh so you know...
Posted 09/06/10 at 10:45am
Rodrigo Ybáñez García: By the way, one video is their review, and the other is the talkabout. I posted the 2nd.
Posted 09/06/10 at 10:44am
Rodrigo Ybáñez García: I don´t think she even played Other M properly. She was more in a rant than in a review.
Posted 09/06/10 at 10:22am
BearDogg-X: The person that wrote the review is an idiot, for lack of a better word. Without spoiling, did she even play Metroid Fusion?
Posted 09/06/10 at 09:12am
Rodrigo Ybáñez García: According with G4, Metroid Other M is sexists because Samus recieves orders from a man
Posted 09/06/10 at 06:04am
Cheater87: Steam might be banned in South Korea.
Posted 09/06/10 at 02:35am
ZippyDSMlee: Meh over rated. So I was at dragon con.
Posted 09/05/10 at 07:55pm
Cheater87: Canadian Defence Minister mad about MOH.
Posted 09/05/10 at 04:01pm
BearDogg-X: Adding to PHX Corp's link to the Salt Lake Tribune's opinion piece, it was written by Christopher Ferguson and it also urges Utah AG Mark Shurtleff to sign an amicus brief opposing California.
Posted 09/04/10 at 11:55pm
C. Aaron Browbowski Jr.: no way they euthanized a sick whale with c4, thats like the obama healthcare plan for the world, no i'm just kidding, let him bankrupt america :D
Posted 09/04/10 at 10:30pm
PHX Corp: PSA: The ECA forums(and GP website) are Not a Ad Toilet, plz do not Drop your Pants and poop out an ad on it(I'm going to end up Getting in trouble for a Toilet Joke)
Posted 09/04/10 at 03:26pm
JDKJ: Does anyone recall exactly when Zippy came down out of the trees and mastered bi-pedalism?
Posted 09/04/10 at 11:41am
PHX Corp: Attempt to revive video game law a waste of money opinion on salt lake tribune
Posted 09/03/10 at 04:31pm
Andrew Eisen: While a desire to conserve a particular marine ecosystem is a laudable goal, securing a 31-foot whale in the middle of it with a 10-ton anchor is probably not the best way to go about it.
Posted 09/03/10 at 04:01pm
ZippyDSMlee: Was thinking more of feedig dieing reefs ,ps life is suffering
Login or register to post shouts