With the General Election looming there are many issues that British voters will have to consider when heading to make their mark on 6 May. The economy, health, education, and security are all on the agenda, but what are the main parties’ policies regarding the video game industry. 7outof10 have contacted the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats on their views to find out.
Today is the turn of Conservatives and Shadow Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.
7outof10: Many thanks for taking time out to talk with us. Speaking to video game industry magazine Develop and in response to Labour’s Budget, Conservative MP Ed Vaizey spoke about how the Conservatives would introduce tax breaks for the video game industry during their first Budget if elected. In your 131-page policy manifesto there is no mention of such a promise; could you clarify the party’s position on such a matter, please?
Jeremy Hunt: Our manifesto was not a list of every single thing we would do in government. As we have said before we think there’s a strong case for the introduction of a tax credit for the video games industry and, like Labour, will look at doing so. It is worth pointing out that although they announced one in the Budget Labour didn’t see this through and introduce such a tax break in the Finance Bill. Had they done so it would have been law by now. For thirteen years they have ignored the games industry so I take their new found support with a pinch of salt.
Speaking during last week’s State of Independence in York, Ed Vaizey also spoke about the possibility of creating the video game equivalent of the UK Film Council. Would that be pursued by a Conservative Government?
We think the games industry needs greater recognition from the Government and some sort of council would achieve this. However, we don’t like creating new quangos so instead we’d rather look at if the Film Council’s role could be expanded to include video games. As the two industries are converging this would seem to make sense.
Aside from Tax Breaks, how does your party plan to support the video game industry during the course of the next Parliament?
We will provide the digital infrastructure that both the industry and gamers need by delivering superfast broadband across the country. And we will do this without forcing everyone to pay Labour’s new phone tax. Our manifesto also set out plans to refocus research and development tax credits on tech companies and start ups which I hope the games industry will be able to take advantage of, stop Labour’s job tax and cut corporation tax to 25p. All of these policies will help make the UK a real hub for the digital industries.
Regarding the recent Digital Economy bill: some have said that the bill was rushed through during the last days of Parliament. With regards to the rating of video games, do you think the legislation was enough to protect children from violent video games?
The move to a single age rating system is welcome and should help parents understand what sort of games their children should be playing. The legislation should be enough but we’ll have to wait and see.
Also regarding the Digital Economy bill, given the speed at which it was passed, would you have liked to see any alterations made on the clauses on piracy and the threat to strip users of their access to the Internet?
I really hope that the measures in the Digital Economy Act designed to tackle online piracy work. In particular I want to see the initial obligations, things like letter writing, given a chance. We have said that we reserve the right to come back to these provisions if they don’t work or treat consumers unfairly but I think we have to wait and see how things bed down before we rush to any decisions.
Finally, is there anything else you would like to say to our readership regarding the forthcoming election?
We are huge supporters of the games industry and believe it can play a significant part in our economic recovery. As well as provide all the financial help that we can a Conservative Government will also do much more to recognise the positive aspects of gaming. We won’t rush to condemn the industry as some in the Labour Party have done. Instead we’ll do all we can to support a social responsible and economically vital part of our society.
Many thanks to Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt for taking time to answer our questions, and thank you to Sue Beeby for arranging the interview. You can find out more about the Conservatives and their policies on their website.
I make my living as a programmer at a British games developer. In my spare time I try and spread myself between writing, gaming, drumming, goalkeeping, rolling dice and keeping my hair blue. Somewhere around that my wife fits in.
Disclaimer: the views expressed are my own and do not neccessarily reflect those of my employer. "
One Comment
Pfft, what a bigot…
Ooops, sorry, wrong debate.
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[...] Previously the Conservative Spokesperson for the Games Industry, Ed Vaizey, had promised a mini-manifesto that detailed the Conservatives’ plans for the UK Games Industry. The mini-manifesto was meant to materialize last week, but did not. When I spoke to a spokesperson for the Conservatives, I was shown towards a recent interview that Jeremy Hunt, Conservative Shadow Culture Secretary, gave to 7outof10. [...]