UK "centre of excellence" proposed
Not a giant amusement arcade, sadly.
As part of the much-hyped Digital Britain report, published yesterday, the UK government has revealed plans to open a "Usability Centre for Video Games", to offer industry skills training and provide a "national resource" to "meet the industries' needs".
The centre would be located alongside the BBC's swanky MediaCity HQ in Salford, Greater Manchester, to take advantage of the corporation's facilities, specifically the "Children's and Sports Department, Interactive Education and Literacy Department and key parts of the Corporation's R&D operations".
The report acknowledged the success of videogames-related courses already on offer at the University of Abertay in Scotland, and the government wants to build on this model to offer a greater range of training, development and expertise to graduates who fancy getting paid to play videogames for a living. We recommend it.
There's no info yet on when the centre might open. The government said, in wonderfully clumsy government-speak, that it will "examine the options arising from a feasibility study" and "work with industry and expedite the collection of further evidence in order to ensure the scope of the proposal meets the industries' needs." Which probably means, don't hold your breath just yet.