In short, the event will see over 130 delegates representing various UK video game companies learn more about the benefits of the new video game tax relief and how their respective companies can access it. Panel sessions and presentations from a range of experts and funders will be occurring covering matters such as finance, diversity, culture and representation, and the education and skills development support available to the sector.
What is intriguing is that at today’s aforementioned BFI Video Games Day in London, Ian Livingstone – the former president of Eidos Interactive (now part of Square Enix) who helped launch beloved franchises such as Hitman, Thief, and The Legacy of Kain – stated the following 9 words during his keynote address:
“We are in the second golden age of games.”
Many gamers will be surprised to hear those particular words, while some will agree.
Read more details on what Livingstone had to say on the matter after the break.
Ian Livingstone: “We are in the second golden age of games”
A bit more on Ian Livingstone before we proceed:
As previously mentioned, Livingstone is notable for his time as president of Eidos Interactive. He also worked for 20 years at Square Enix, co-founded Games Workshop, of Warhammer franchise fame, and has been appointed the government’s Creative Industries Champion.
With that being said, it’s safe to say that this isn’t Livingstone’s first rodeo.
As mentioned before, during BFI’s Video Games Day keynote address, Ian Livingstone stated that he believes that the video game industry is currently experiencing its “second golden age,” as opposed to gaming’s first “golden age“, which occurred with the rise of 1978’s arcade and Space Invader‘s craze and ended in the mid-90’s following the release of popular PlayStation and Nintendo 64 home entertainment systems.
Livingstone, throughout his address, said a variety of interesting things regarding both the development and enjoyment of video games. In addition to elaborating upon the fact that games have never been subject to “good press,” (even going so far to say that history has not been kind to games since the invention of chess), he highlighted various popular games and franchises for their success in broadening gaming audiences’ horizons. Some of the titles Livingstone referred to included Minecraft, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, and even Candy Crush Saga.
However, he did suggest that the games industry still has a long road in front of it if it is to achieve widespread public acceptance, citing Grand Theft Auto V as an example of a video game that should have been lauded as art, but was instead lambasted by the mainstream media, saying the following on the matter:
“Grand Theft Auto V was the absolute embodiment of science meeting art. It should’ve been put at the forefront of the British games industry as a success, but instead it was castigated by the mainstream press.”
What are your thoughts on Livingstone’s statements about gamers experiencing “the second golden age of video games?” Are you inclined to agree? Why or why not?
Let us know in the comments section below! As always, stay tuned to GamerHeadlines.com for the latest on video game and technology news.