Hello fellow UK citizens. I apologise thoroughly for taking up your time, but I have taken the liberty of drafting a petition asking the UK government to support the British games industry by funding gaming companies much in the same way as film companies are currently funded. I personally believe that with the recent changes in the industry (eg. development cost surge, lack of a dominant format) and with the increasing acceptance of video games as being art, is it time for the development of innovative or creative games to be aided by the government, much like it is in France and Norway. After all, Britain has always had a strong games industry (I blame the huge number of quirky, nerdy people, and the terrible weather ) and it's time that the government gave it more support!

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/fundvideogames/

So if you would please give it your consideration, I would be eternally grateful. Thanks in advance.

-Mark 

I'd love to help, but I'm in the US.

I'm a Canadian, but in all honesty, I just don't consider Videogames and Film to be in the same category. I'm sure I'll take some flak for this, but I can't see the funding of Videogame companies to be fostering a domestic artform so much as subsidizing an industry.

Interesting.

Im in Australia, Victoria - and we get substancial government assistance with the games industry (not so much straight handouts though). And its done through our "Film" department ("FilmVic" has a department called "MultimediaVictoria" which handles the funding).

It works quite well - although as stated, anyone looking for a "handout" to make a game will be sorely dissapointed.

http://film.vic.gov.au/www/html/7-home-page.asp

http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/