TIGA attends European Developer Summit

By May 31, 2011 Press Releases

TIGA, the trade association representing the UKgames industry, attended an event on games development last week at the
European Parliament that was hosted by Emma McClarkin MEP and proposed by the European
Games Developer Federation (EGDF).

At the event Emma McClarkin praised the games
development sector in her opening speech pronouncing it as “a sector that underpins the
importance of digital markets for economic recovery and sustainable growth””.
She continued noting positively the industry is spearheading “a drive towards a
truly digital era by creating new platforms and methods of interaction,
facilitating cooperation and dialogue on a scale never imagined before””.

The East Midlands MEP went on to raise the
social and cultural importance of games before calling for the “specific needs of
the European games industry [to be] addressed and taken into consideration by
the EU institutions, especially in terms of the Common Strategic Framework for
EU research and innovation funding””.

Dr.
Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, commented:

“TIGA was delighted to attend the
European Parliament event hosted by Emma McClarkin MEP to highlight proposals
that would be of benefit to the UK games development industry. There are a
number of issues facing the games industry but access to capital is one of the
biggest challenges facing the UK and wider European games industries. Whilst we
continue to lobby the UK Government to introduce proposals supporting the
domestic industry, TIGA is keen to engage with policy makers in Brussels too.

“TIGA and our colleagues in the
EGDF have called for EU policy makers to recognise the cultural value of video
games and we have highlighted the need for policy makers to improve access to
finance for developers. TIGA will work closely on behalf of our members with
our European counter-parts to try and deliver changes from Brussels which will
benefit the UK industry. We call on the European Commission to carefully
consider the EGDF’s proposals.””

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

The EGDF, of which TIGA is a key member, has published a Report (Game
Development and Digital Growth
) which makes a series of recommendations for
the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament to consider.
TIGA, with other EDGF members, made the following proposals to European policy
makers in Brussels:

·
Recognise video games as a form of cultural
expression and make them eligible in all member states for public funding, as
is the case with a growing number of non-European countries.

·
Recognise that sector specific tax breaks for games
production are vital for enabling the European games development sector to
achieve its potential.

·
Make video games a pillar of the upcoming MEDIA
programme or create an EU video game specific programme.

·
Balance EU funding schemes for SMEs between loan
guarantees and prototype funding.

·
Introduce a 50 per cent SME quota for EU RTD
projects because SMEs are the driving force in innovation.

·
Simplify the paper work associated with funding programmes
for SMEs and promote EU funding programmes more effectively. The network of
Media Desks throughout Europe could

be used as contact
points for information about EU support programs. Additionally, EU innovation
programmes should be marketed at major games industry events.

About TIGA:
TIGA is the trade association representing the UK’s games industry.The
majority of our members are either independent games developers or in-house
publisher owned developers.We also have games publishers, outsourcing
companies, technology businesses and universities amongst our membership. TIGA
was awarded ‘Trade Association of the Year’ and the ‘Member Recruitment Award’
at the Trade Association Forum Best Practice Awards 2010. TIGA has also been
named as a finalist in the 2010 Chartered Management Institute (CMI) National
Management and Leadership Awards in the category of ‘The Outstanding
Organisation of the Year Award (SME)’. TIGA is an Investors in People
organisation.

TIGA’s vision is to
make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. We focus on
three sets of activities: political representation, generating media coverage
and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members.
This means that TIGA members are effectively represented in the corridors of
power, their voice is heard in the media and they receive benefits that make a
material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and
improved commercial opportunities.

For further information, please contact Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO on
07875939643: or email richard.wilson@tiga.org;
or contact David Hodges on 02070911653

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