Scottish Affairs Committee Games Inquiry to Abertay University

The House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee is bringing its inquiry into the computer games industry in Scotland to the University of Abertay Dundee, an international center of excellence for computer games education.

Following the coalition Government’s decision in the Budget not to offer tax breaks to the industry, the Committee is investigating the economic impact of this decision on Scotland and other ways of financially supporting the industry.

One method of support for the industry that the Committee will discuss is Abertay University’s new 5 million prototyping project, which is expected to create up to 30 new companies and 400 new jobs. Successful applicants receive up to 25,000 to help build a prototype game or creative product to present to investors.

The Abertay visit is the Scottish Affairs Committee’s first fact-finding trip for this inquiry, and will involve consultation with both Abertay’s leading computer games educators and a range of industry representatives.

Written submissions to the inquiry from interested parties closed last Friday, 10 September, and now the Committee is meeting with academic and business experts to discuss the importance of this large industry to Scotland and to the UK.

Committee Chair Ian Davidson MP said: “The video games industry is hugely important to the people of Dundee. Not only is the industry a major source of revenue and employment, but Abertay University enjoys the prestige of being the first university in the world to offer a course in software engineering for video games and has been pivotal in cementing the reputation of Dundee as the hub of Scotland’s gaming industry.

“The Scottish Affairs Committee is extremely concerned about the impact of the recent announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to abolish tax relief for Scotland’s video games industry.

“The reality of today’s economic situation is that the lure of tax relief and financial incentives in other countries could result in a brain-drain from the gaming industry in Scotland to other parts of the world. Our inquiry, of which our visit to Dundee forms an important part, seeks to explore in detail the potential impact of this policy decision.”

Professor Bernard King CBE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Abertay University, said: “The computer games industry, with its strong cluster in Dundee centred around Abertay University, is a crucially important sector for future Scottish and UK economic growth.

“We warmly welcome the Committee’s inquiry into the industry, and are delighted to show them the internationally leading educational and business support facilities on offer at Abertay.”

He added: “Our approach to education is based on working with companies to develop graduates ready to step straight into demanding jobs. From our annual Dare to be Digital computer games design competition to our new Professional Masters postgraduate degree, all our students work in the same open-plan, studio environments that the world’s leading computer games companies do.

“We’re developing this unique industry-focussed approach further with the £5 million prototyping fund, which is aimed specifically at creating new businesses and new jobs. We believe that direct support like this can spark off fantastic new creative ventures, and we look forward to discussing these alternative financing models with the Committee.”

At Abertay the Committee’s members will receive a tour of the open-plan studio workspaces that students from different courses share with their lecturers, as well as receiving demonstrations of some of the latest technological developments, including fully-immersive 3D computing.

Abertay University offered the world’s first computer games degree in 1997 and was established as the UK’s first Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education following a £3 million Scottish Government investment.

NBA Elite 11 to Include Free Downloadable Version of NBA JamJames Cameron Wants To Capture ‘Avatar’ Sequel Underwater