What's next for gaming in the UK? | BBC News
Summary
TLDRDundee, Scotland, is renowned as the birthplace of Grand Theft Auto and a thriving hub for the UK's gaming industry. Despite recent challenges, including job losses and investment scarcity, the city's studios foster a strong community. Political parties are now recognizing the sector's potential, with calls for funding and tax breaks to support growth. The industry, valued at £6 billion to the UK economy, seeks acknowledgment and support to maintain its global competitiveness.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Dundee is the birthplace of the highly successful video game Grand Theft Auto.
- 🏢 The success of Dundee's game industry has transformed its waterfront, including the Waters Edge building, into a major hub for the UK's gaming industry.
- 🤝 Dundee boasts a tight-knit community of game studios working closely together, contributing to a rich talent pool.
- 📈 Despite recent difficulties in the wider gaming industry, Dundee's studios continue to thrive, as exemplified by Greg's studio expanding after a viral game.
- 💸 The gaming industry has been facing challenges such as drying investments and reduced interest in risky ventures, leading to job losses.
- 📉 Thousands have lost their jobs in the gaming industry across the UK and globally due to cost-cutting measures by studios.
- 💡 The industry is calling for recognition and support, with the UK games industry estimated to be worth 6 billion to the economy.
- 🙏 There is a call for more funding for new studios and tax breaks to encourage studios to stay in the UK, led by the group representing gaming companies.
- 🏆 The gaming industry is seen as a potential economic and cultural growth driver, with the need for national political dialogue to include gaming.
- 🎉 Political parties are recognizing the importance of the gaming industry, with various commitments and strategies proposed in their manifestos.
- 🗳️ The upcoming Parliament is expected to be more video game friendly, with hopes for over 200 new MPs to support the UK's game makers.
Q & A
What is the significance of Dundee in the video game industry?
-Dundee is the birthplace of one of the world's most successful video games, Grand Theft Auto, and has become a major hub for the UK's games industry with a concentration of talent and studios in a small area.
How has Dundee's waterfront been transformed due to the success of its gaming industry?
-The success and subsequent investment in the gaming industry have transformed parts of Dundee's waterfront, with buildings like Water's Edge becoming a hub for game development studios.
What challenges are game studios currently facing in the wider games industry?
-The wider games industry is facing challenges such as investments drying up, reduced interest in risky investments, and cost-cutting measures that have led to thousands of job losses across the UK and around the world.
What is the estimated worth of the UK's games industry to the economy?
-The UK's games industry is estimated to be worth 6 billion to the UK economy.
What is the current situation regarding job losses in the games industry?
-Over the past year or two, there has been a significant number of job losses in the games industry, with many friends of the interviewee losing their jobs.
Why are startups and university graduates struggling to get funding in the gaming industry?
-Startups and university graduates with great ideas are struggling to get funding because games are not being recognized as a separate entity deserving of support, leading to a lack of funding opportunities.
What is the UK Games Group calling for to support the gaming industry?
-The UK Games Group is calling for more cash for new studios and tax breaks to encourage them to stay in the UK, aiming to change the current funding landscape.
What are the political parties' stances on supporting the gaming industry?
-Different political parties have varying commitments; the Conservatives include a commitment to wider creative industries in their manifesto, the Lib Dems are pushing for a new strategy to help the games industry, and the SNP want the UK to rejoin a European Union scheme that could provide cash.
What is the hope for the next Parliament regarding the gaming industry?
-The hope is that over the lifetime of the next Parliament, there will be an influx of new MPs who are video game friendly, leading to upwards of 200 new MPs who will decide on how to support the UK's games makers.
What is the role of the next government in supporting the UK's games industry?
-The next government will need to decide if and how to support the UK's games makers, considering the real strengths and future economic and cultural growth of the industry.
What does the BBC News report suggest about the current dialogue on the gaming industry within national politics?
-The report suggests that the gaming industry is getting relatively little attention within national political dialogue, despite its potential as a global proposition and economic contributor.
Outlines
🎮 Dundee's Video Game Industry Success
Dundee, known as the birthplace of the globally successful video game 'Grand Theft Auto', has seen a transformation in its waterfront area into a major hub for the UK's gaming industry. The city boasts a concentrated pool of talent with many studios working closely together, fostering a strong community. The narrative focuses on Greg, whose game studio went viral, allowing expansion and growth. However, the wider gaming industry is facing challenges with investments dwindling and a lack of risk capital, leading to significant job losses and studio closures. The industry, valued at 6 billion to the UK economy, is seeking recognition and support from the government.
📉 Challenges and Calls for Support in the UK Gaming Industry
The UK gaming industry is currently grappling with a downturn, characterized by a reduction in investments and a surge in job losses. This has led to calls from industry representatives, like Yuki, for increased financial support for new studios and tax breaks to encourage studios to remain in the UK. The gaming industry is not receiving the funding it needs, particularly startups and university graduates with innovative ideas. There is a push for the government to recognize the industry's potential for economic and cultural growth and to integrate it into national political dialogue.
🏛 Political Parties' Stances on the Gaming Industry
Different political parties in the UK have shown varying levels of commitment to supporting the gaming industry. The Conservatives have included a broader commitment to creative industries in their manifesto, while the Liberal Democrats are advocating for a new strategy specifically for the gaming industry. The Scottish National Party is interested in rejoining a European Union scheme that could provide financial support. The industry hopes that the next Parliament will be the most video game-friendly ever, with an influx of MPs who understand and support the gaming sector's needs.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Grand Theft Auto
💡Dundee
💡Water's Edge
💡Investment
💡Game Studios
💡Viral
💡Games Industry
💡Job Losses
💡Creative Industries
💡Tax Breaks
💡European Union Schemes
💡Manifesto
💡Parliament
Highlights
Dundee is the birthplace of the world-renowned video game Grand Theft Auto.
Dundee's Waterfront has been transformed into a major hub for the UK's games industry.
There is a concentrated pool of talent and studios in Dundee, fostering a strong community.
Greg's studio, which made a viral game, is expanding and moving into new offices.
The wider games industry is facing challenges with investments drying up and job losses.
Thousands have lost jobs in the UK and global games industry due to cost-cutting measures.
The games industry is not being recognized as a separate entity deserving of funding and support.
Yuki, the group representing games companies, is calling for more funding and tax breaks.
The incoming government needs to consider the games industry's contribution to the UK economy, estimated at 6 billion.
There is a call for the games industry to be recognized and supported within national political dialogue.
The Conservatives have included a commitment to creative industries in their manifesto.
The Lib Dems are pushing for a new strategy to support the games industry.
The SNP wants the UK to rejoin an EU scheme that could provide financial support to the industry.
There is hope for an influx of MPs who are video game friendly in the next Parliament.
New MPs will need to decide on the level of support for the UK's games makers.
The report concludes with the need for the next government to consider the games industry's potential for economic and cultural growth.
Transcripts
it's the birthplace of one of the
world's most successful video games
Grand Theft Auto no not LA or Miami but
dunde it's just one of the Blockbuster
titles to come from the city and it's
that success and subsequent investment
that's transformed parts of Dundee's
Waterfront like this building at Water's
Edge into a major hub for the UK's games
industry and there's an incredible pool
of talent here there's a lot of studios
in a very small area that all work
together and sort of build a bit of a
community Greg's moving into one of the
offices here after a game his Studio
made went viral online he's been able to
expand and take on more stuff it's busy
here at the studios in Dundee but in the
wider games industry things have been
tough recently Investments drying up
there's not as much interest as putting
money away for risking it and a lot of
studios are suffering heavily because of
that already this year thousands have
lost their jobs in the games industry
across the UK and around the world as
Studios look to cut costs but at this
there's been very little said about how
the next government might support a
struggling industry estimated to be
worth 6 billion to the UK economy it's
definitely scary out there know I mean
over the past year two years there's
just been so many people losing their
jobs and I've had so many friends lose
their jobs the games industry is is a
great thing now I do think um we are
suffering from games not being
recognized as their own kind of separate
thing and startups and people come at
the University with great ideas and not
getting the funding that they need it's
something Yuki the group representing
games companies wants to change calling
for more cash for new Studios and tax
breaks to encourage them to stay in the
UK any incoming government is going to
have to look at the real strengths what
what is our future economic and cultural
growth going to be built on and you know
we have a new Hollywood right on our
Shores here we we have the makings of a
truly Global proposition um but it's
still getting relatively little AirPlay
within the the kind of national
political dialogue says it wants to
focus on gaming as a way to create jobs
and will boost training for it the
conservatives include a commitment to
wider creative Industries in their
Manifesto and the libdems are pushing
for a new strategy to help the games
industry meanwhile the S&P want the UK
to rejoin one of the European Union
schemes that could provide cash what
we're really hoping is over the lifetime
of the next Parliament we see you know
upwards of 200 new MPS the influx of we
hope the most video game friendly
Parliament this country's ever seen
whichever party takes the controls at
the next election new MPS will need to
decide if and how to support the UK's
games makers Andrew Rogers BBC News
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