MP shows strong support for games

By Robert Purchese Published 7 December, 2009

Says they will be "dominant" this century.

Labour MP Tom Watson believes videogames will be this century's defining cultural medium, and that Gordon Brown's Government had better sit-up and start taking notice of them.

"I'm pretty certain games will be the dominant cultural phenomenon of this century and for a country to ignore that is a mistake," Watson told GamesIndustry.biz.

"Times are tough at the moment: we're in a recession; it's very hard to find any tax breaks for any industry. But I think it's really important that we put a big strategic stamp on the games industry and say, this is an industry we want to nurture and support."

Watson's behind a Facebook group called Gamers' Voice that came about "because there was one Daily Mail article too many, knocking games, knocking gamers". Within two weeks the group had 15,000 supporters.

What exactly Gamers' Voice will do Watson isn't sure, but he's keen to see a legitimate body set-up that will provide a mouth through which gamers can be heard in the UK.

"I'm thinking about - although I want the members to decide how to set it up - is to be the equivalent in gaming of what the Football Supporters' Association is in football. They're going to give a platform to ordinary people who are going out there and just love playing games," said Watson.

Watson's hope - fuelled by the media furore over Modern Warfare 2 - is that there will be serious opposition to the common games-make-children-violent argument bandied about too readily by the likes of Keith Vaz and other politicians at the moment.

"Yeah, look, we're in this together and this is about building a better society. We had this same debate when VHS came out 25-30 years ago, about will kids be exposed to 18-content films. Yes they were, we had some education, and now parents are pretty responsible about what their kids can watch on DVDs," he said.

Head over to GamesIndustry.biz for the full interview with Tom Watson.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (22) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Fletche #1 2 years ago

    "We had this same debate when VHS came out 25-30 years ago, about will kids be exposed to 18-content films. Yes they were, we had some education, and now parents are pretty responsible about what their kids can watch on DVDs"

    They are? Have to say though, is good to hear something like this from an MP, about time the powers that be started taking gaming seriously

  • Evolution #2 2 years ago

    What!? Sensible comments from a MP about games?

    *Rushes to the window to catch a glimpse of pigs in flight*

  • gjgjg #3 2 years ago

    not bloodly likely, but +1 for effort!

  • the_sas_man #4 2 years ago

    Watson...you genius

    Now fetch me my glasses

  • M_of_the_sys #5 2 years ago

    So they're not saying that they're putting more money into it but that they're going to show more support and tax relief? Well that's promising.

  • HenryFitz #6 2 years ago

    "a platform to ordinary people who are going out there and just love playing games"

    Going outside? I wouldn't want to perpetuate a stereotype about gamers being goggle-eyed shut-ins, but gaming is best conducted indoors, in the warm. Has he mistaken gamers for some other convenient countercultural grouping to which politicians can pander?

  • Quickstick4 #7 2 years ago

    I think Canada giving tax breaks has worked in making their games industry allot larger, so makes allot of scene over here, i remember a BBC documentary saying that a third of the worlds games where made in the UK, but that was in the late 1998 and im sure that number must be (sadly) lower now. This goverment wont give a financial break to any one right now though....except themselves to build moats to fend of the 'common' people

  • Xerx3s #8 2 years ago

    Bah, atleast games are on the agenda in the UK. When I registered my games company with the chambers of commerce, they guy had no idea where to put us. None of the application forms for them or the treasury had any option for games. This government is completely oblivious that there even is such a thing as games.

  • Bravestinsane #9 2 years ago

    Haha this article defines the majority of the people who use this website, people are quite happy to argue and moan about almost anything and let their fanboyism take control.

    But this, something that could truly be make or break in the UK games industry, an MP who supports and and wants the rest of MPs to open their eyes, and people don't want to know.

    Good on this guy hope it brings it up in the house of commons, it's about damn time industry is in shit over here, with foreign companies buying all the new Indies up, hopefully this will encourage new British studios. Good luck to this guy i say.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #10 2 years ago

    I think pupils in schools should have the option to do a game review if they want, rather than being confined to book and movie reviews.

    Kids get to do movie reviews??? That's already going too far!

    The little ankle-biting bastards should be forced to read books and have opinions on them, or the world really will go all to shit.

  • malexous #11 2 years ago

    "parents are pretty responsible about what their kids can watch on DVDs"

    I went to a friends house at the age of about 10 and we watched a bit of Predator on DVD. (His mother came in and made him turn it off because she doubted my mother would want me watching it; she was right)

    In primary school (up to age 12/13) most (edit: some, not most) of my class mates were staying up until 11P.M. watching what ever was on.

    I doubt most parents are responsible.
    Edited by 2 at 07/12/09 @ 18:09

  • Eyhren #12 2 years ago

    "Games such as Halo, MW2, Assassins Creed and other big titles could be explored a lot deeper than most movies."

    *cough*
    Sorry what? Deep? OK fair play, Assassin's Creed is a conspiracy story but seriously? You could've picked better examples than that. Anyway, I think you're confusing review and analysis. Something doesn't have to be deep to be reviewed, whether it be a game or a film. Bad films need reviewing too. Even then, I don't really think there'd be much analysis to be had in the majority of games. Not yet at least.
    I just wrote a Torchlight review for my English coursework, although at A-level we're given pretty much complete freedom in what we write.

  • MiniAmin #13 2 years ago

    I for one, applaud Tom Watson.

    He clearly isn't supporting video games just to buck political consensus. His comments demonstrate an incisive knowledge of the importance of games. As opposed to the sententious "think of the children" nonsense we're so used to hearing.

    Fair play to him.

  • jefranklin18 #14 2 years ago

    But didn't the Tories outline their proposals to help the UK gaming industry first?
    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/tor ies-criticise-uk-gov-support-for-games
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/tories...[/link]

  • RageBoy #15 2 years ago

    Tom Watson is the anti Keith Vaz - we need more like him!!

  • Eraysor #16 2 years ago

    Really nice to see someone sticking up for the industry and gamers in general. Hopefully the days of putting up with Daily Mail bullshit are numbered.

  • makeamazing #17 2 years ago

    Also glad to see an MP fighting for common sense, rather than the normal, going with the crazy media front page stuff. There is nothing wrong with games or gaming, the problem is people who are still viewing it as a hidden in bedroom geek thing (even then it wasnt a bad thing). The only issue is stupid parents getting 18 rated games for their kids, just like videos.

  • skuzzbag #18 2 years ago

    Poster design for the promotions.

    Tom watson is climbing a huge kieth vaz to stick a sword into his weak spot. Maybe for massive damage or something.

  • lucky_jim #19 2 years ago

    I've met Tom Watson a few times, from my days in student politics. He's got a ruthless streak (every MP has) but apart from that he was a really nice guy. I'm sure it's not escaped his notice that gamers have votes too, but I've got no doubt he genuinely believes this stuff.

  • kongzi #20 2 years ago

    it's all kind of senseless, isn't it? This whole "gaming-fad" has been going on for about 20 years now, and only now politicians start to see some kind implications here and there. It's one of those major cultural shifts that will happen, whether the politicians like it or not. In fact, the only role politicians seems to have in history are to deny such shifts untill they are completely unavoidable. For you and me here, it's already happened with pacman and articles like this are like interesting messages from a time long gone. Little timemachines as it were....

  • lucky_jim #21 2 years ago

    That's a bit harsh. Politicians, like everyone else, are products of their generation. I think my age group (I'm 30) are probably the first where large numbers of people grew up playing games and never stopped. As people in this age group start to achieve positions of power and influence, games will truly enter the mainstream- but we'll be too busy condemning the latest thing kids are into, so we won't notice the shift.

  • kongzi #22 2 years ago

    @lucky_jim: indeed, so it isn't harsh at all, it's just that politicians are always the last to catch up to that kind of thing. i think the fact politicians start worrying about games is your confirmation that games have entered the mainstream conciousness permanently. I guess it's just the way generations and different parts of society work on each other. My work (films and music) seems to draw a lot of criticism from people aged 30-40 for instance, while people above and under that age are generally more favorable. We all are products of our generations.