Shadow Culture Secretary Ed Vaizey (left), a consistent supporter of the UK's video game industry, said this week that the British Government was too focused on the video game violence issue and not paying enough attention to helping the industry grow.
Develop reports that Vaizey made his comments while registering for the new London Games Conference, which will be held in October. The Conservative Member of Parliament said:
I’m delighted to be speaking to the London Games Conference. The games sector is one of the most successful creative industries in the UK, but it has been forgotten by Government.
While Canada and France aggressively compete to attract talent, all our politicians can talk about is video games violence.
Yet games should be a dream for a politician – it recruits people qualified in difficult subjects, like maths and computer science; it’s regional; and it’s successful and world-beating. Government backing should be a no-brainer.
Comments
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
So... MP goes to group of people and says what they to hear?
Cynical? Me?
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Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
I don't really think that it is a case of the brittish gov being obsessed with videogame violence, I think it is more of every time when videogames are talked about there is always someone who has an issue on the violence of videogames, as if they feel that kids should not play those games.
And in the end, it sounds like the gov don't really understand that adults play videogames too because most people in government would not comprehend that even adults love to play videogames like we do because we have grown up with Videogames, they haven't.
and when they think of us gamers, they only see little kids because that is how they percive us.
I also think that there has to be more accurate and detailed information to arguments before making such generalisations on both sides of the generations.
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
What is "Shadow Culture"? (well, maybe I understand the meaning of it, but I can´t believe they have a secretary for that.)
And of course british goverment is obssesed with games. They are an easy target, more easy than real life issues like unemployment, crime, health, education or corruption (right, Mr. Vaz?)
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
And of course british goverment is obssesed with games. They are an easy target, more easy than real life issues like unemployment, crime, health, education or corruption (right, Mr. Vaz?)
Those issues are discussed pretty much daily. The government don't have a one track mind, you know that can actually deal with multiple issues at any one time. Yes Keith Vaz is annoying with his unfounded comments on games, but he's not in the cabinet and is one out of 600 and so MPs. Don't say that the government focus on games and nothing else because that is false and even when the government do talk about it, it doesn't mean that they are talking about it instead of other issues.
Also "Shadow" is simply for the opposition party, it doesn't matter whether that party is a liberal or conservative based party. The conservative or liberal minister wouldn't have any meaning (although it would lead to confusion due to the political party names).
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
In the UK, the opposition spokesmen are generally treated as counterparts to government ministers and are called 'Shadow Ministers'. So at the moment, the conservative's home affairs spokesman is called the 'Shadow Home Secretary' and their spokesman on cultural affairs will be the Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport (if I remember correctly).
Which is a bit of a shame. I quite like the evil-overlordish aspect of my country having a shadow culture or even a shadow government.
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
I always get a vision of some kind of 1950's villain twirling his moustache and saying 'I am.... the Shadow! Mwahahaha!'. Problem is, the closest we have to a 1950's villain in the government is Peter Mandelson.
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
Peter Mandelson has more in common with THE villain of the 1930's and early 1940's.
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
Very true, unfortunately.
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
Yes, it sounds very weird, but in America they have "conservatives" and "liberals" to say "good" and "evil" (which side is each one is up to people to dicide, we all know politicians are all the same :)
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
And it's mainly one guy, Keith Vazgina, that's the most obsessed out of the UK pols. Very rarely you see anybody else in the UK complain about video game "violence".
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Re: MP: British Govt. Obsessed With Video Game Violence ...
I hate this guy, just because he's a Tory who speaks perfect sense. What more should it take? It could very well be too late, given the speed other countries are providing benefits to developers.