March 9, 2007
We know this much about British Prime Minister Tony Blair and video games:- his kids have a PlayStation 3
- he's never played Bully
Beyond that, Blair hasn't much of a history on video game issues. Gamasutra reports, however, that remarks made by Blair recently are seen by British game industry officials as "indirect praise."
In a speech at the Tate Modern Art Gallery in London with game industry officials in attendance, Blair lauded the U.K.'s various creative industries:
Culture spans so many disciplines… I am very much aware of the contribution from every quarter. There is not a sector represented... which has not contributed to the renaissance of British culture.
While Blair did not specifically mention video games, Gamasutra writes:
(Blair) is known to be sympathetic to the industry despite its use, as in much of the rest of the world, as a popular scapegoat by the British mass media. This attitude has been most evident in his lack of enthusiasm for further legislation concerning the sale of violent games, despite attempts by fellow Labour MP Keith Vaz to champion the cause.
Of the Blair speech, Paul Jackson of ELSPA (Europe's version of the ESA) remarked:
It is good to hear the Prime Minister’s speech and the government’s recognition of the creative industries in Britain and their contribution to the culture and essence of the country. The games industry is a proud member of these industries. The talent and creativity that our industry houses and nurtures is what makes the games industry a part of Britain’s cultural heritage, and more specifically, an important asset in Britain’s creative and cultural future.
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