Following on from my previous “Gov to the Rescue” post, there’s a bunch more governmental support/action to quickly mention…

European bodies are really getting into the kick of things, with several events and initiatives. For one, I’m heading to Ireland tonight to speak at the Irish gov-funded and IGDA chapter driven event to “awaken” the local industry. Additionally, I’ll be spending some one-on-one time with gov officials on how they can best support and foster a games industry in Ireland. And, there’s a very similar event going on in Sweden in November called “Nordic Potential“. Also, the upcoming Montreal Game Summit is heavily supported by the provincial and federal governments. And, of course, the upcoming Serious Game Summit in DC that will have American gov officials crawling all over it. Very exciting stuff!

This follows on from last year’s announcement that the French government’s Ministry of Culture would offer development grants, etc. Not to mention Tony Blair’s recent thumbs up for the UK games industry.

Sadly, not all gov types are on board with games (eg, Schwarzenegger approving anti-game legislation, Chinese gov “rating” online games, Oz banning Leisure Suit Larry, etc).

Still, it is nice to see the rising trend of governmental interest and respect in our creative endeavors.