January 19th - 
One Response
One Response
Europe’s game industry trade outfit, the ELSPA, have announced a program aimed at reorganizing the body, resulting in some job losses, mostly in the body’s software forensics division. The outfit, funded by games publishers based in Europe, is seeking a greater role for London in the games industry and culture, though why London would be a good choice is beyond me, considering the extremely high costs of living, the large number of European developers and publishers through ought mainland Europe, the relative dreariness of the environment and the hyper-inflated British Pound insuring costs would stay quite high. The group’s 5 year plan focuses on piracy, as well as emerging technologies.
Delicious this
12:36 pm CET on March 16th, 2007
It might in the end be a case of “Whats left? London”, which does after all have a large and vibrant games industry which you shouldnt forget, a vast artistic and design tradition, and the rest of the world just sees London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Barcelona and Amsterdam as the serious choices for an industry hotbed.
So why London and not the others? Germany is unthinkable as only a lunatic would willingly work (or rather be abused) in the optimistically titled “games industry” there (rarely makes games and there is little ‘industry’ about anything), France is France, and its great tradition of turning bodies into bureaucratic nightmares wont change soon, Italy is always possible but noone there has ever seemed to want to run anything. Spain might fly but can it internationalise itself as some others could(could it live with an industry based at heart in English)? Netherlands lacks financial clout and world presence but I would say is second favourite.
The US, AsiaPac etc HAS to take you seriously and be able to do integrated business with you. What city has a large industry of genuine frontline studios, financial infrastructure, international connect, a good image round the world (whether justified or not, and yours and my personal feelings on dirty big old London arent important) etc. Its not a game of “Where would I enjoy living”