Just thought I'd mention this...
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ukgames/
An online petition to provide tax breaks or other incentives for British Game Developers.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Tax Breaks For UK Games
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I have mixed feelings about this whole thing.
Firstly, I remain unconvinced that these online petitions are anything more than a clever sop by Downing Street designed to stop us bothering them with more confrontational methods of protest, from paper petitions handed in by celebs to McDonald wrecking marches in Oxford Street. From poll-tax riots to e-petitions in a mere 18 years. Oh dear.
Secondly why should game devs get tax breaks above and beyond other (let's face it) more worthwhile UK businesses?
Thirdly we've seen this cycle of indie / major / indie scene in the record industry. With punk began the burgeoning UK indie scene which lasted, on and off, to the early 90s when suddenly all the so-called 'indie' bands were signed to the majors. The indie labels became self-managing subsidiaries of the same. Now we've gone full circle with bands distributing and promoting their records via the internet and even performing gigs live over the web, and even massive bands like Radiohead and NIN cutting out the labels altogether to do the same.
Where are the self-promoting indie game devs?
Here they are.
And here.
And here
And countless flash games coded in bedrooms and basements and sold to PopCap and the like.
Is there really a problem? I don't know.
Fourthly... "Much of this is because publishers such as Ubisoft of France, Sony of Japan and EA of the US have purchased the high performing studios."
So... we're asking the government to support the *second rate* studios?
Finally - the petitioner seems confused about what he actually wants. Does he want to support indie studios so they're not subsumed by the 'majors' as appears in para 1, or is it to entice foreign majors to set up in this country as per para 3.
It's interesting, but I'm not signing.
GOOD points, well made.
:)
Post a Comment