Lord Puttnam: Political Legitimacy of Games Overdue

Lord Puttnam: Political Legitimacy of Games Overdue

July 7, 2009

The political legitimacy of video games is overdue.

So says Lord David Puttnam, producer of hit movies such as Chariots of Fire and The Killing Fields. Puttnam, long an advocate of technology and the arts, also serves as a member of the recently-formed All Party Parliamentary Group on the Computer and Video Games Industry.

Puttnam made the comment during a lengthy interview with British newspaper The Guardian's Games Blog:

My own belief is that the [video game] sector should get significantly more [government] support, particularly at the entry and training level...

I'm also trying to persuade people within the interactive entertainment industry that the role they are playing, and the role that the games they develop are playing, could be far more significant in British cultural life...

What I hope we'll achieve with this new committee is the overdue political legitimacy of the games industry; to get a level of informed parliamentary understanding of interactive games... Most parliamentarians don't have a clue as regards the challenges or the opportunities the games industry faces. If for example, they had a full understanding of the levels of support the Canadians offer their industry they would, I'm sure, fall off their chairs!

As GamePolitics reported earlier this year, Puttnam called upon game makers to help spread the word about climate change.

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Re: Lord Puttnam: Political Legitimacy of Games Overdue

Entertaining fact, for certain definitions of "entertaining": Lord Puttnam was chancellor of the University of Sunderland up until the year I graduated from it. For bonus irony, my final year project was a PC game on the matter of climate change.

/b

Re: Lord Puttnam: Political Legitimacy of Games Overdue

I applaud Lord Puttnam for his modern and progressive views. This is exactly the kind of approach this industry needs from Government, not just in the UK but internationally.

 

What's up with you GP.com cunts anyway? Something genuinely positive and worth supporting, but none of you can be arsed to post? Pathetic.

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Posted 03/19/10 at 02:36pm
Andrew Eisen: JDKJ - Probably the widow/widower.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:33pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:who gives a shit about you :P
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:33pm
Valdearg: Lol.. Wow, JDKJ. Troll much?
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:27pm
JDKJ: Who gives a rat's ass about the children of fallen soldiers?
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:16pm
Andrew Eisen: I completely agree.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:15pm
Valdearg: If they really wanted to help the troops, they should donate their money to a legitimate charity with a good cash in/out ratio.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:14pm
Valdearg: It's just offensive that people who attend these things think they are helping the troops, when in reality, Hannity is using MOST of the money to live large in the cities he travels to. He could at least scale down his accommodations..
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:13pm
Andrew Eisen: Val - But they did get something and that's better than nothing. Also, the Freedom Concert site is clear that expenses are subtracted from the donated amount so while it’s not fraud (from what little I’ve seen) it is pretty crummy.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:12pm
ZippyDSMlee: fou fundrasier, from a fou consertive, who would have thought :P.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:11pm
Valdearg: The problem, Zip, is that barely ANY of the proceeds are going to the children. It's all going so hannity can line his own pockets and enjoy a life of luxury. He is a grade A Piece of Human Crap.
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:09pm
ZippyDSMlee: Hanaity cn afford to pay for it himself so all proceeds go to the childernz or whatever. .....
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:09pm
ZippyDSMlee: But anyway you want to pad your rep with a funrasier get 80% to the people its suppose to go to....
Posted 03/19/10 at 02:03pm
ZippyDSMlee: VLag:thats ture but alot of cop and fireman and other thigns are under 10% to what they give to what they are raising money for
Posted 03/19/10 at 01:48pm
Valdearg: On top of that, the children of fallen soldiers who DID recieve money for school only recieved a pittance. Often less than 1000 dollars, and no child recieved more than 6000, which is not nearly enough to pay for an education.
Posted 03/19/10 at 01:46pm
Valdearg: The fact that Hannity's charity only does 4-7%, and he uses a lot of the other money for luxury travel and accomodations for himself and his friends. That's just fraud, no matter how you put it.
Posted 03/19/10 at 01:44pm
Valdearg: Woah Zip. Broken record mode. There are many, many other charities that can pull off a 50% or better donation rate with the money they are given.
Posted 03/19/10 at 01:39pm
ZippyDSMlee: ya but half of all fundriaseing stuff is under 10% 0-o
Posted 03/19/10 at 10:21am
Valdearg: Lmao. I was just permabanned from the hannity forums for asking about her article. It was politely worded, and I made sure to imply that I was conservative. Seems to me like Hannity is in full damage control, at the moment.
Posted 03/19/10 at 10:00am
Valdearg: Link in my name.
Posted 03/19/10 at 09:59am
Valdearg: CONSERVATIVE blogger Debbie Schlussel out's Sean Hannity's Freedom Concerts as a SCAM! As little as 4% and 7% of the money collected in some years actually went to the benefits of the charity. A MUCH larger percentage was spent on luxuries for Hannity.
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