Tiga on improving UK development

Dr Richard Wilson, the CEO of Tiga, Britain's game-development trade association, is rarely out of the news in his quest to make the UK a better place to make games.

GameSpot UK recently caught up with him to discuss why Tiga objects to recent EU proposals on extending consumer protections for gamers, what he thinks of current UK game-development degrees, and how game development in the UK has changed over the past 20 years.

GameSpot UK: For the benefit of those people not familiar with Tiga, how would you define your goals as an organisation?

Richard Wilson: Tiga is a national trade association representing game developers, our membership is wide-ranging and includes independent developers, publisher-owned studios, universities, technology businesses, and outsourcing companies.

Our goal is to make the UK the best place in the world to do games business. We focus on three sets of activities: political representation, generating media coverage, and developing services that enhance the competitiveness of our members. This means that Tiga members are effectively represented in the corridors of power, their voice is heard in the media, and they receive benefits that make a material difference to their businesses, including a reduction in costs and improved commercial opportunities.

GSUK: You were reported last week to object to the proposals from the European Commission towards expanding consumer protections for those people buying games. Why?

RW: We, along with the rest of the industry, support good, quality products for consumers. But a balance is needed between the rights of consumers and the responsibilities of companies. In particular, we do not want to see legislation in the EU become much more extensive than in North America or Japan, as this would place all EU developers at a competitive disadvantage.

We are keen to engage with the European Commission and other policy makers to ensure we have legislation that gives good protection to consumers whilst also still allowing UK games companies to compete at a global level.

GSUK: What do you make of the European proposals regarding human rights and video game development that were under discussion recently?

RW: Balancing human rights against freedom of expression and speech is an ongoing moral dilemma. It is something society faces at all levels, and of course as new technologies emerge, this debate enters new and complex territory. The EU so far seems to be taking a fairly balanced view on this issue, and I welcome the collaboration and consultation that is taking place. However, we are of course very conscious that what we don't need is unnecessary censorship which hinders the industry here in Europe, making it unable to compete in a global environment.

GSUK: Do you think that the attention of the European Parliament, Commission, and Council is a help or a hindrance to development, given the mixture of positive and negative messages present in most recent reports?

RW: I welcome the recognition from EU policy makers on the importance of the game industry both economically and socially. However, what the UK and European industry desperately needs is EU policy makers to create an environment in which our business can be truly world-beating.

GSUK: What government projects with relation to games and the other creative industries do you think have worked across the world, and do you think the success of these programmes can be replicated in the UK?

RW: There is no doubt that tax breaks for the games industry in Canada have given a powerful boost to the growth of the games sector in that country. We strongly believe that tax breaks for the industry, more generous R&D tax credits, and indeed a lighter burden of taxation on business in general, but particularly for the game industry, would allow the game sector to power ahead--and at the very least reclaim its No. 3 position in world rankings. We also believe the UK government should redouble its efforts in supporting and adequately funding education at all levels. This is crucially important, as the game industry depends on having access to a highly skilled workforce.

GSUK: Tiga has been pushing for greater information and accountability from the government regarding the money being spent on promoting the creative industries, and improved benchmarking with regards the efficacy of our systems compared to other G20 nations. Have you had any success?

RW: This is an issue that we are continuing to campaign on. I believe very strongly that benchmarking is an effective management tool at both the level of an individual firm or organisation and at a national level. The UK government, like business, must benchmark its expenditure and performance to ensure that it is delivering effective policy.

GSUK: Tiga has a good track record for connecting with regional development bodies, and has recently been lobbying the Scottish parliament directly. Which regions on the UK do you think are currently best for game development, and why?

RW: Tiga is a national organisation that seeks to assist game developers throughout the UK. One of the great things about the industry is that there are a number of very good and successful clusters of game developers all over the country, including Scotland, Yorkshire, Brighton, Guilford, and the West Midlands, among others. This is a truly national success story, and we are absolutely committed to fostering communication between all developers up and down the UK, as we believe this will make our national industry stronger.

GSUK: If the Conservative party comes to power next year, as looks likely, do you think that this would be a good thing for video game development in the UK, given your issues with the current government's policies?

RW: I am delighted that the Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats have made more positive noises towards the game industry over the last year. If the Conservative party does win the next election, naturally I hope they will adopt our policies with regards to tax, R&D and skills.

At the same time, I am very pleased that the department for Culture, Media, and Sport and some elements within Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in the current government do appreciate the importance of the industry. I hope we will have a tax break for game production as soon as possible, and I strongly urge the treasury to introduce one.

GSUK: What do you think are the most important challenges facing UK game development over the coming years?

RW: The UK game industry will continue to face a challenge with respect to the very competitive global technology environment. Highly skilled people are in short supply, and we face competition not only from other countries but also from other industries in keeping hold of our highly talented workforce.

Linked to this, we must ensure the UK industry continues to have access to future generations of world-beating graduates and skilled staff. This means investing more resources in education and training at all levels.

Finally, the industry must effectively exploit the research base available at UK universities to give our business a competitive advantage.

GSUK: You recently warned the government about potential cuts to higher-education funding during these tough economic times. What do you think of the current state of UK higher education in terms of the help it gives developers in general, and specifically the relatively large number of specific game-development courses that are not officially accredited by Skillset or any other such body?

RW: UK higher education has an excellent record, and broadly speaking, we are second only to the US in terms of the quality. However we don't spend enough on higher education--the UK currently spends about 1% of GDP, whereas the US spends 2.9%. Unless higher education is properly funded, UK game developers and businesses in general will find it hard to recruit good-quality staff.

There are some excellent game-development courses at UK universities, including but not exclusively Abertay and Bournemouth. Partly to ensure that developers are able to recruit good-quality staff, Tiga has decided to work with Train2Game, a distance-learning company that provides courses in development, design, and art. These courses have been developed by the industry for the industry, and we believe they will help to meet the skills needed.

GSUK: You have recently made it easier for smaller indie development studios to join up with Tiga. How important do you think that bedroom programmers are to the industry now, compared to 20 years ago?

RW: Clearly it is much more expensive and it requires many more people to develop a video game today in comparison with 20 years ago. At the same time, relatively small teams can now develop flash games or games for mobiles (such as the iPhone) and be very successful. It is crucial that we nurture small startup businesses, which is why Tiga made the strategic decision to welcome small developers into our membership.