March 28, 2008 -
Life is strange.Just yesterday, the British government drew battle lines of a sort with the video game industry. The Tanya Byron report, which enjoys consensus support among British politicians, will almost certainly result in a revamping of the U.K.'s game content rating system and a placing of additional legal regulations on video game sales.
Today, the Vancouver Sun reports that the British government is initiating a trade war with Canada... to protect its slice of the video game business pie.
It seems that Canadian tax credits are luring European game developers to the likes of Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.
In response, the U.K.'s Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport has opened a European Commission investigation of Canada's trade practices. A ministry spokesperson told the Sun:
The U.K. government is concerned that state aid offered to computer games companies by a number of federal institutions in Canada may not be compatible with World Trade Organization principles.
Comments
I understand that much, What I fail to understand are cocks who come swinging into these threads on the whole "you're repressive and my country is better than your country" or "free speech, baby! Woo!" bandwagons that do nothing to further an intellectual discussion. It's mental masturbation - all you do is jack yourself off on how good you perceive yourself to be in comparison with others. Often, with no effort made to understand why a diffrent culture is like that in the first place. All I want is for poiple to think before they post, especially in threads that might not initially make sense to them.
But that's mostly it. I didn't see anybody barge into the the recent Boston threads and say "OMG you yanks are fucked, but I could care less cos you're all so dumb - woo, roast beef!". And yet, every single European thread sees a bunch of people from across the Atlantic feel they have the right to sit in judgement on a country they have nmost likel;y never even visited.
What the FUCK is up with that? It's tiring and I'm pissed off. This Byron report was supposed to bring us all togther - to UNITE us globally, Instead, so people are so myopic they get caught up in irrelevancies like the First Amendment (which has no bearing in the UK, obvs) to realise that for once, the industry was applauded and the parents took the rap - how it bloody-well should be.
The first is that Americans are, by nature, an opinionated and usually loud bunch, and feel, at least unconsciously that America is the world's police force.
The second is that they honestly think they've got a good point, and their just trying to discuss it.
The third, and the one that I think would come into play the most here, is that whenever a lawmaker in the US jumps on an issue, in this case video games, they have to fight a war of information. If a country in Europe enacted, is enacting, or has enacted a law similar to the one being proposed, or has put out a study that supports the law, then it will be used as fodder. So the fear is that the Byron Report will be used to convince people that censorship of the type being recommended (censorship meaning anything that could repress any legal form of expression here) is a good idea. The posters act on this fear by letting their opinions known on European topics and in European threads.
For what it's worth, the Canadians will butt in on American topics, typically immigration and trade policies, just like the Americans butt into European topics.
As for the report itself, I've found a few problems with it, but I'll give line and verse later.
A charming and well reasoned response to my over-emotional rant - many thanks.
However, why people wish to exert their frustrations with what their own political systems might do in response to decision made by foreign ones by resorting to the equivalent of playground name-calling - is totally and utterly beyond me.
Ditto.
Whatever will we do without our Earl Grey?
Fangamer
Or is it a case of not wanting to piss the French off as he wants something off them later?
Hypocrisy and political gainsmanship strikes in the Labour Government again!
*sigh* We have to wait another 2 years for a chance to vote them out!
Question is, who else is there to vote for?
:-(
Actually, Hodge (who runs this govt dept, not Brown) was hoping the French would back up their argument at the WTO, but instead the French decided to be proactive and positive about the situation instead (i am, as it happens, a massive Francophile). Since then, they've moaned about how "the same situation doesn't apply" in the UK (when it clearly does, they could apply to the EU for the very same concessions as France), and it seems they'd rather behave like a bunch of misers than do anything helpful.
Just kidding I am actually starting to love Canada based on some very good laws and policies... might even move a little north and find a job at one of their game companies...
Regardless, it'll be a cold day in hell before I let the stupid actions of governments colour my opinion of other nationalities. And honestly what gives with laughing at a country because their politicians are capable of incredible feats of idiocy? It's the political equivalent of correcting other people's spelling and grammar, it will come back and bite you; with politicians it's just a matter of time before they balls something up. ;)
Gift.
And avoid trade wars, right? Technically, this is an official gripe not an actual war yet.
Gift.
Not that it's any of your business, but as far as the limey thing goes - both my grandmothers are from England and my mother is the only one of four children *not* born in England. So when I use limey, it is half a joke and half with affection.
If you limeys developed a thicker skin, there wouldn't be a trade war.
well my advice is, TRY LIVING IN AUSTRALIA!!!!!
Here the Game Developers have to survive on their own most of the time, but our PM has no conplaints about it.
This spat is about tax breaks/subsidies nothing more than that. Also, it's not a trade war yet, a complaint to the WTO is != to a trade war. Until the UK government reacts and takes action to prevent Canadian goods being sold here it's not a trade war.
Gift.
Why would developers want to publish from the UK when they stand a better chance of having their game banned in their own backyard than anywhere else in the world? (Save Germany, Australia and Singapore)
And if they prevent Canadian goods from being shipped, it's only going to hurt them. A large portion of their own products are based off of the raw materials from Canada.
Umm, Bioware was bought by EA. So far, it seems like a good thing though, but time will tell.
In short you’re conflating issues. You might have a valid point if the BBFC intervened early in a game’s development thus preventing certain games from being made (rather than just sold here). However, that’s not the case, much like the ESRB the BBFC looks at near complete, or finished, products and advises on content changes/provides ratings at that point. The BBFC does not, and cannot, prevent games it dislikes from being developed in the UK so if it was cheaper to make a game here then that is what could and would happen.
I'm no fan of the BBFC, but given the immense costs of developing a game it seems ludicrous to suggest they are a major influence on where software houses set up shop.
Gift.
FFS, where do you think, GTA IV and MH2 were developed in the first place? There's no restrictions on developer's content in Britland. Jericho and Kane & Lynch were brought out by British publishers as well (although that's not a comment on quality - neither game was exactly stellar).
However, I do agree there's not much incentives for both comapnies and people to develop games in the UK - everything's too expensive and we've got shit weather as it is.
"However, I do agree there’s not much incentives for both comapnies and people to develop games in the UK - everything’s too expensive and we’ve got shit weather as it is."
QFT.
Gift.
In serious cases the EU can lock down imports to protect the interests of individual members if a trade war does occur. I believe China recently had its clothing exports curtailed for that very reason.
Gift.
Wonder who'll be next to move their QA / development out there? SCEE?