Comments on: The Future of the Video Games Industry "I believe that some states in the US do as well, can anyone confirm this?" Yes, North Carolina and Georgia both offer tax breaks for game industry companies. I'm sure there are others as well. “I believe that some states in the US do as well, can anyone confirm this?”

Yes, North Carolina and Georgia both offer tax breaks for game industry companies. I’m sure there are others as well.

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By: Dylan Cuthbert/2011/02/06/the-future-of-the-video-games-industry/#comment-383 Dylan Cuthbert Mon, 07 Feb 2011 04:09:41 +0000 @Fabrice: Perhaps the answer is to have a model similar to the movie business for some roles, where people work fixed term contracts on one project? It wouldn't work for all roles, but I'd have thought a lot of content creation could work that way.@kriss: Care to venture any of those alternatives? I'd have thought money was the main reason UK studios have closed recently.@MadNinjaSkillz: I'm not a startup, but even as a programmer I am certainly better off now that I have emigrated, I don't regret it. I get more money, and pay less tax in an area with a lower cost of living. No brainer really. @Fabrice: Perhaps the answer is to have a model similar to the movie business for some roles, where people work fixed term contracts on one project? It wouldn’t work for all roles, but I’d have thought a lot of content creation could work that way.@kriss: Care to venture any of those alternatives? I’d have thought money was the main reason UK studios have closed recently.@MadNinjaSkillz: I’m not a startup, but even as a programmer I am certainly better off now that I have emigrated, I don’t regret it. I get more money, and pay less tax in an area with a lower cost of living. No brainer really.

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By: MadNinjaSkillz/2011/02/06/the-future-of-the-video-games-industry/#comment-381 MadNinjaSkillz Sun, 06 Feb 2011 14:15:35 +0000 Tax breaks for the UK games industry are bullshit.There are plenty of other much more sensible ways of supporting and encouraging UK games developers than giving a wad of cash to Activision or EA.If you feel personally let down or somehow snubbed because one rich fuck didn't give another rich fuck more money (that doesn't even belong to the other rich fuck) then you are either the rich fuck that didn't get the money or a moron. Tax breaks for the UK games industry are bullshit.There are plenty of other much more sensible ways of supporting and encouraging UK games developers than giving a wad of cash to Activision or EA.If you feel personally let down or somehow snubbed because one rich fuck didn’t give another rich fuck more money (that doesn’t even belong to the other rich fuck) then you are either the rich fuck that didn’t get the money or a moron.

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By: Fabrice Lété/2011/02/06/the-future-of-the-video-games-industry/#comment-379 Fabrice Lété Sun, 06 Feb 2011 13:14:03 +0000 couldnt agree more! Because of the insane cost of living here vs taxes i have to pay, emigrating looks more and more appealing every year. I was very excited when the Government announced games industry tax cuts, which of course, was reversed. They just need to realise if they dont make these cuts, they will get no tax at all as everyone will move to somewhere where there IS tax cuts. A little tax income is surely better than none.What I dont understand is when tax breaks are cancelled and VAT goes up, but companies like Vodafone are let off 6 billion in taxes. Starts making you wonder how many of the conspiracy theories are actually correct. couldnt agree more! Because of the insane cost of living here vs taxes i have to pay, emigrating looks more and more appealing every year. I was very excited when the Government announced games industry tax cuts, which of course, was reversed. They just need to realise if they dont make these cuts, they will get no tax at all as everyone will move to somewhere where there IS tax cuts. A little tax income is surely better than none.What I dont understand is when tax breaks are cancelled and VAT goes up, but companies like Vodafone are let off 6 billion in taxes. Starts making you wonder how many of the conspiracy theories are actually correct.

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By: Sven Bergström/2011/02/06/the-future-of-the-video-games-industry/#comment-377 Sven Bergström Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:04:57 +0000 Great post. I couldn't agree more on the education comments. Even in the later years of school in Scotland computer science doesn't do enough to wow students. Teaching about network topologies from the 80's and how to use a word processor isn't the way to inspire the next generation of software engineers. Luckily, for those of us who were still interested, university did provide enough opportunites to learn programming.As for tax breaks, if that is what is necessary to keep studios in the UK then i'm all for it. Abertay University in Dundee offers a very successful games course which students flocked to assuming they could work for companies like Real Time Worlds. If we lose the studios then eventually universities won't have a reason to offer such valuable courses. Great post. I couldn’t agree more on the education comments. Even in the later years of school in Scotland computer science doesn’t do enough to wow students. Teaching about network topologies from the 80′s and how to use a word processor isn’t the way to inspire the next generation of software engineers. Luckily, for those of us who were still interested, university did provide enough opportunites to learn programming.As for tax breaks, if that is what is necessary to keep studios in the UK then i’m all for it. Abertay University in Dundee offers a very successful games course which students flocked to assuming they could work for companies like Real Time Worlds. If we lose the studios then eventually universities won’t have a reason to offer such valuable courses.

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By: David Evans/2011/02/06/the-future-of-the-video-games-industry/#comment-375 David Evans Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:39:42 +0000 I agree that investment in education should certainly take priority, but I think well targeted tax breaks for the games industry would foster growth and create jobs, particularly in countries where it is quite expensive to operate such as the UK. Especially now that we are seeing increased competition from places like India.It's not so much that I think the games industry should get special treatment, but other creative industries like the Music and Movie business do receive cuts, and they are also extremely profitable. I agree that investment in education should certainly take priority, but I think well targeted tax breaks for the games industry would foster growth and create jobs, particularly in countries where it is quite expensive to operate such as the UK. Especially now that we are seeing increased competition from places like India.It’s not so much that I think the games industry should get special treatment, but other creative industries like the Music and Movie business do receive cuts, and they are also extremely profitable.

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By: Roy T./2011/02/06/the-future-of-the-video-games-industry/#comment-373 Roy T. Sun, 06 Feb 2011 08:21:28 +0000