Topic: European Developers Seek Support from Governments

[LassePalle]

According to The European Games Developers Federation, Europe will lag behind culturally without sufficient financial support.

EUROPEAN GAME CREATORS PRESS THEIR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS TO SUPPORT EMERGING CULTURAL MEDIUM

Brussels, Belgium, March 24th 2005 – The European Game Developers Federation, representing the video game creation communities in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark and Netherlands, call on the Governments of its Members to financially support the video game creation industry.

"Video game has become the cultural medium of choice of the younger generations for the past twenty years and has influenced every other medium, from cinema to music to graphical arts" stated Antoine VILLETTE, a board member of EGDF and president of APOM.

"Productions appealing specifically to the European public or national audiences have existed for two decades but are now struggling because of increasing production costs, and global market consolidation. If we want to maintain cultural specificity in video games in Europe we need intervention of the sort applying to other creative audio visual sectors" said Fred HASSON, a board member of EGDF and CEO of TIGA.

The Federation calls the Governments of its Members to quickly adopt financial-support systems of specifically-European productions through fiscal incentives and similar schemes.

"Without proper support, Europe will with no doubt lost its edge, creativity and business position in a field recognized as strategic for the cultural battles of tomorrow" said Malte BEHRMANN, a board member of EGDF and a director of G.A.M.E. in Germany.

"Governments should also reflect the policy in other non-European countries where investment in our creativity is encouraged and where attractive location incentives are readily available" said Malene RAFN of DANISH PRODUCERS.

"Developers are fully conscious of the need to improve their best practices in order to enhance their competitiveness" said Herman HULST of TIGA Netherlands, "but the international pressure to lower costs and improve quality is going faster."

The European Game Developers Federation regroups the representative trade groups of video game creators in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark and Netherlands. It has been founded in 2003.  

[BiLdItUp1]

Quote
If we want to maintain cultural specificity in video games in Europe we need intervention of the sort applying to other creative audio visual sectors

I didn't know European games were that much different from those made in America or Canada or anywhere else outside of Japan...is this a bunch of political bs, or does someone want to give me an example of a truly 'European' game?

[RABicle]

Rayman
Conker's Bad Fur Day.

Much of the humour in Conker is distinctly British in flavour, and far more "dirty" and rude than any American developer would dare include. And Rayman is the sort of character you just couldn't see coming from a Japanese or American developer. Then of course theres that forthcoming PC FPS, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, set in Chenobyl (sp?) and developed in Ukraine.

Un fourtunately a lot of European developers are dominated by American publishers. There is no better example than Freedom Fighters. The game was developed in Denmark yet EA, who published it demanded that the game be set in America, as such the game was left with the ridiculous idea that because Russia nuked Berlin they suddenly had enough might to invade mainland USA and of coruse the game follows resistance fighters in New York City. Now being based in Denmark the developers could've and would've given the oppourtuity, set the game in Copenhagen and your fighting Nazi occupation, a far more realistic senario. Prehaps if they had government assistance and not EA's money they could've made that game and the game would've been representative of European culture.

That's what this is about, removing the stranglehold big American publishers have over European developers, forcing them to Americanise or dumb down their products, that is why there aren't many, as you say, "European" games.

In Australia some developers get government funding. It was lol when the immigration minister had a big whinge over a game (that has since mysteriously vanished) in development where the player sought to escape from our immigration detention centres (read: refugee prisons). He was whinging because the Arts Australia Council was funding the games development.  

[KDR_11k]

You forgot Beyond Good & Evil, which is often said to have a distinctive french style, Far Cry, Arena Wars and loads of city-building sims. Oh and the Grand Theft Auto series (which are made by R* Leeds, IIRC).

EDIT: And I forgot Factor 5, which was a european developer until 1996.

[Plugabugz]

GTA was done by Rockstar North, who are based in Glasgow.

[Bloodworth]

Actually, Rockstar North (DMA Design) didn't work on GTA until GTA III.  Before that they had their resume built up with other multi-vehicled titles like Body Harvest and Space Station Silicon Valley.

[BiLdItUp1]

Aight, aight, I stand corrected...I knew about Rockstar North, forgot about 'em though. But still, what about these games makes them European? In fact, what about games in general make them specific to a certain area of the world? hmm...Gotta go now, but I'll chew on that one for a while.