Brits Reaffirm Support for Video Game Industry

Despite recent bad press over Reservoir Dogs and Bully - or should we say Canis Canem Edit - a British politician has given assurances that the government there stands behind the U.K. game industry.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Shaun Woodward, Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism, said, "I think it's terribly important that one or two things don't spoil the barrel for everybody else, because this is an exceptional industry with exceptional talent. It fulfills and plays an important role in our society, and a very constructive role in the lives of many young people, as well as middle-aged people like myself."

Woodward made his remarks during a speech delivered at the British Academy of Television and Film Arts (BAFTA). The minister referred to the games biz as "one of our most important creative industries, and one at which the U.K. excels."

Woodward did allude to the negative press surrounding some titles, saying, "We should do a great deal to address some of the bad publicity which [games] sometimes in the past have received because of one or two games in the margins."

He also congratulted BAFTA on its decision to hold an awards ceremony for video games. The first such event will take place on October 5th.

"I think it's absolutely right that BAFTA is doing this... We in Government certainly think it really matters to the U.K., and certainly within the program of creative industries within the U.K. It's absolutely central and at the heart, not only in terms of production values and creativity, but creating jobs and creating better lives for us all."