14 DAY TRIAL // Politics and games haven't really gotten along so well, with politicians blaming videogames for corrupting innocent kids and having a bad influence on society. But most gamers have gotten used to such claims which are, very often, made by people who haven't even played a game in their life, but venture out to accuse something they barely know.
That's why, when some politician speaks up and supports games and the industry behind them, it is such big news. British liberal representative in the Parliament, Don Foster, has recently spoken with The Guardian about his role in the committee in charge with analyzing the game industry in the United Kingdom. He went on to say that, although he barely played games, his analysis of the gaming industry was a very detached one and that he saw how this industry must be backed up by the government in order to help the economy of the country.
"I hardly play any games, I'm not from that generation," he said, "but because of my job, I had to research the industry. The vast majority of my parliamentary colleagues are always wanting to ban the latest game, but they don't know the details of the industry. Few people in this country realize how important it is to the UK economy."
He then continued by saying that he supported the claims of British game publishers and developers, which wanted more help from the government in order to compete with the industries from other countries, like Canada, not to mention the two top nations, the United States and Japan. The game developers are currently lobbying in the Parliament a few laws that will encourage college students to study and get jobs in the gaming industry. Another important claim they are issuing is that the government offer tax cuts and more reasonable financial support to small companies that often go bankrupt before releasing a game.
It's really nice to see that politicians take the time to analyze games and their industry before making wild claims regarding their status and how they influence the society. With the pending financial crisis, the gaming industry might save some countries from recession.