British Conservative Party’s Ed Vaizey courts game makers with industry tax-break
The British Conservative party was courting gamers and game creators at London’s Games Conference.
Introduced as the “Minister for Games” (though he admitted that he isn’t a gamer himself, but he looks at the industry in a positive light), Ed Vaizey of the opposition party is their equivalent of the “Culture Minister” (known as a Shadow Minister) and is courting game companies ahead of the British elections (which the Conservatives are heavily favored to win); by talking about the possibility of an industry-wide tax-break for game creators.
This would help the overall economy of the UK and game creators in particular by helping them keep talent in the UK. This is due to the expensive conditions, overseas competition and lack of government support that is driving videogame creators elsewhere.
“We’re actively considering a tax break [for UK development],” said Vaizey. “However, we’re encouraging you to think more widely, and if you want to influence Conservative policy, now’s the time to do it,” he said, addressing some of the industry heavyweights in the room at the Games Conference.
Another popular topic among the UK development community is the prospect of a government support group along the same lines as the UK Film Council. “There’s no appetite to create new quangos at the moment,” said Vaizey, using the colloquial term for quasi non-governmental organization. “But we’re looking at having the Film Council handle the videogames sector–it’s something we’ll look at if the Conservatives are voted in.”
The British film council helps bankroll films deemed culturally important to British society in order to promote the nation around the world.
“One of the lowest points for me recently was seeing a photo of a kid sitting on a sofa–listless, bored, fat, and yes, he had a videogame controller on his lap,” he said, referencing a recent print advert from the ‘Change4Life’ organization. “And who sponsored this ad? The department for culture and sport — absolutely unbelievable!” he concluded.
It’s great to see more politicians embracing videogaming and not treating it as if it’s not an important medium. So good on Vaizey!
Via GameSpot, Image via mpgawards
Categories: News
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