MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The British Government has ‘forgotten’ the UK video games industry – allowing Canada and France to pinch our finest creative talent.
That was the message from Shadow Culture Secretary Ed Vaizey this week, as he signed up for the first ever London Games Conference.
Taking place at BAFTA on Tuesday October, 27th and sub-titled Digital Distribution and the Future of the European Games Market, LGC will be the biggest standalone UK event dedicated to the issue that is currently top of the industry’s agenda.
The date will feature an opening address from Mr Vaizey – a long-term and proud supporter of the domestic games industry.
He told MCV: “I’m delighted to be speaking to the London Games Conference. The games sector is one of the most successful creative industries in the UK, but it has been forgotten by Government.
"While Canada and France aggressively compete to attract talent, all our politicians can talk about is video games violence.
“Yet games should be a dream for a politician – it recruits people qualified in difficult subjects, like maths and computer science; it’s regional; and it’s successful and world-beating. Government backing should be a no-brainer.”
Highlights of LGC include Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft discussing their online gaming strategies in a panel chaired by Edge editor Tony Mott; and a session hosted by erstwhile Sony development director Phil Harrison discussing the demise of physical media.
London Games Conference starts at 4:30pm and will be followed by an evening of networking, dinner and drinks. Tickets are £229, but an early bird rate of £199 is available until September 18th. There are also discounts for ELSPA and Tiga members.
For more details or to secure a delegate place, please email Rob.Baker@intentmedia.co.uk.
