The UK’s two video games industry trade bodies, TIGA and UKIE, have both reacted positively to the recommendations of today’s Livingstone-Hope Skills review.
TIGA – the organisation Train2Game students will know as the independent awarding and examination bodies of the Train2Game courses – said that it was crucial that higher education institutions provide good quality data about the employment destination of graduates from games courses and other disciplines relevant to the video games industries.
TIGA CEO Dr. Richard Wilson said:
“The Livingstone-Hope Skills Review makes some important suggestions for raising the profile of the video games sector in schools and for further enhancing the quality of education and skills formation; and NESTA have typically produced another fine piece of research. The report includes measures that TIGA has long espoused, including measures to attract the best teachers into schools, the use of video games to promote the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, and support for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.”
You can read the Train2Game blog’s December interview with Dr. Richard Wilson here.
UKIE Director General Michael Rawlinson also welcomed the findings of the Livingstone-Hope skills review:
“The UK has a heritage in developing video games that we can be very proud of. However, if we are to continue to produce world-class interactive entertainment we need to ensure that we have a world-class work force to produce it.”
“One of UKIE’s key goals is to promote a skills and education agenda that: will ensure that the right people have the right skills to succeed in the games industry; promotes video games as a career; and that introduces more games and technology based learning into the UK’s classrooms– improving engagement with children whilst educating them about the skills needed to produce the next big video game.”
“UKIE is therefore fully supportive of the Livingstone-Hope skills review and looks forward to bringing together the interactive entertainment industry, the education sector and government to make the report’s recommendations a reality.”
Meanwhile, speaking at the launch event which the Train2Game blog attended, Ian Livingstone called for the two bodies to work together as one organisation:
“There is a fundamental difference between the two organisations historically,” said the author of the skills review.
“But where we are today with online content, the differences between the two are disappearing.
“Developers are becoming publishers, publishers are becoming developers. On an issue like this – skills – it’s absolutely to the benefit, and in fact I would be amazed if there wasn’t unanimity on this issue. Over time there is going to be a greater coming together as the differences between the two organisations disappear.
“In the past we’ve had the government saying you can’t do this because you the other trade body doesn’t agree on particular points’ – they’ve used that against us. So if we work together, joined at the hip as one organisation, or working together as two organisations with slightly diff agendas but mainly as one, I think we’ll have far more success. I think that’s obvious.”
So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the industry bodies’ response to the report? Do you think Ian Livingstone is right when he calls for them to work closer together?
As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum. Alternatively, you can also tell us what you think via Twitter.
Train2Game, in association with DR Studios and the University of Bedfordshire, will be holding a Game Jam at the end of March. For more information, see this Train2Game blog post or the Train2Game Game Jam Facebook page. Alternatively, keep an eye on the Train2Game Game Jam Twitter account.
