Government backs video games industry
Ed Vaizey supports London Games Festival.
Ed Vaizey supports London Games Festival.
Creative Industries Minister, Ed Vaizey helped draw a close to the London Games Festival last night, speaking to industry leaders at the London Games Conference.
“I’m pleased to have been able to take part in this year’s London Games Festival and show my support,” said Mr Vaizey. “The games industry is hugely successful economically but I also want it to be recognised for its positive influence, its creativity and innovation and cultural contribution.”
The month-long celebration of video games is a key part of the industry calendar and incredibly important in promoting the industry’s strengths.
Skills
During the speech the Minister expressed his optimism for the future of the industry and said bringing the right skills to the sector is vital.
“It is so important that we have a clear, evidence-based picture of the education and training needs and the extent to which these are being met. I’m really looking forward to seeing the final report from the Skills Review, led by Ian Livingstone and Alex Hope with the help of NESTA, Skillset and e-Skills; its findings and its recommendations for the industry, for education providers and for Government.”
Mr Vaizey also reiterated the importance of the newly announced £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund which will support projects that encourage private sector investment, delivering sustainable jobs and growth.
“We want to encourage strong, high quality bids that meet the scheme’s objectives and criteria and which support the Government’s key aim of rebalancing the economy,”said Mr Vaizey. ”And I am particularly keen to see some bids from the creative industries, including the video games sector.”
The speech came on the same day that the Prime Minister unveiled ambitions to see London’s East End transformed into one of the world’s best technology centres aimed at setting Britain on the way to making it the most attractive location in the world to invest in technology companies.
Further information
- Ian Livingstone blog: The state of play
- Prime Minister announces East London ‘tech city’
- London Games Festival