UK minister Woodward calls for video game academies

First we had the self-proclaimed French “Prime Minister of Video Games”, and now the video game industry has a new supporter in the form of UK Minister for Creative Industries & Tourism, Shaun Woodward.

In an interview with the Financial Times, he notes some very interesting points on why exactly an academy for video games should be established. These reasons include the fact that a) the UK is the third largest game manufacturer in the world, and b) if there are schools that are dedicated to television and film, then why not a school which is dedicated to preparing and instructing students about the making of video games and the video game industry in general?

One has to admit that the man has a point. On top of that, he also notes that this may be one efficient way of putting some members of society (who are traditionally perceived as lazy teenagers) to good use, when he says that, “You might have kids who traditionally have quite a difficult time coping with traditional academic subjects but happen to be the most amazing gamers…”

In the meantime, we’re hoping that Woodward’s visions bear fruit, as not only will they have economic and social benefits, but it’s also about time that the general public recognizes that video games are not just a past time anymore, but an entire industry unto itself. Also, with countries like Japan, Korea, and the U.S. already having established educational institutions that specialize in video games, then maybe it’s about time that Europe follow suit.

First we had the self-proclaimed French “Prime Minister of Video Games”, and now the video game industry has a new supporter in the form of UK Minister for Creative Industries & Tourism, Shaun Woodward.

In an interview with the Financial Times, he notes some very interesting points on why exactly an academy for video games should be established. These reasons include the fact that a) the UK is the third largest game manufacturer in the world, and b) if there are schools that are dedicated to television and film, then why not a school which is dedicated to preparing and instructing students about the making of video games and the video game industry in general?

One has to admit that the man has a point. On top of that, he also notes that this may be one efficient way of putting some members of society (who are traditionally perceived as lazy teenagers) to good use, when he says that, “You might have kids who traditionally have quite a difficult time coping with traditional academic subjects but happen to be the most amazing gamers…”

In the meantime, we’re hoping that Woodward’s visions bear fruit, as not only will they have economic and social benefits, but it’s also about time that the general public recognizes that video games are not just a past time anymore, but an entire industry unto itself. Also, with countries like Japan, Korea, and the U.S. already having established educational institutions that specialize in video games, then maybe it’s about time that Europe follow suit.