You can now get money from the British State if you make games

As the EU hates subsidies, unless you're growing crops or doing art, you can now get state funding for your games - if you fulfill the art and culture criteria.

In line with things like British Film Council, etc, you need to have artistic and cultural aims with your games. Then you can get state funding. If not, well, like I said, the EU doesn't like subsidies for other things.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...al_test_to_go_with_the_UK_game_tax_breaks.php

The criterias are here:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/film-industry/british-certification-tax-relief/cultural-test-video-games

 

Thats what I am talking about. I wonder if there is one here in canada. I know they are giving out grant money like candy to these stupid "companies", when they should be giving them straight to the developers.

 

They need one of these for `merica!

 

They got innumerable schemes in America for such things - you simply must be a active member of a 'special interest group' to be tipped off on how to leach such funds...sorry, to be granted your 'entitlement' of such funds; better than more ludicrous DoD / DHS fraud I suppose.

In Norway, I remember me my pals getting bellies full of laughs on a visit there from the Norwegian government trying to use some of the excess profits from North Sea oil fields to encourage the Arts and small business - the number of bad pottery stores with expensive window displays with extremely limited hours of 4 hours per week on Wednesday afternoons was just too precious and in a city as expensive as Oslo - those were some expensive bowls; but I'll take that over Leland Yee politics any day.

 

You need to be a student at a uni then and talk to knowledgeable professors and it's dubious whether the amount of the grant is worth the expense of uni tuition fees, at least if uni costs in Canada are similar to uni costs in the USA.

 

Better than the older and in some places of the world, all still too common alternatives. I remember just before I moved from Zurich they sponsored 'art in public places' that resulted in some horrendous attempts at politically correct art - to be 'meaningful' and 'deep' rather than simply beautiful.

EU subsidies, hmmm, oh: I remember a bridge in Wexford, Ireland that had a humongous blue yellow sign the said it was funded by the EU - ruining a beautiful view and attempting to 'brow-beat' the Irish into voting the 'politically correct' EU way (in this case trying to pressure the Irish into voting for the Nice Treaty). That's the EU way - if voters reject a treaty - they keep calling referendums on the same issue until the voters rejecting the treaty vote in the way that EU leadership and the mass media desire.

 

Creates jobs. It's a good thing.

 

It must be selling like tea and crumpets to you Brits, because I got a 503 on the link.

 

ROFL

 

These aren't actually real opportunities for funding btw. Try applying for one and you'll see (after filling out a 500 page form) its really just there to create jobs for civil servants, like all other grant schemes.

 

To be fair, we've managed to work with government in NI to develop a system where the forms can be filled in in about a day. And that's for £10K (90% up front). Not a lot but it should buy about 3-5 man months. There are larger amounts available but then you start to lose creative control.

 

I understand it's EU funded but is that for UK only or any EU citizens?

 

It works on a criteria based system you have to meet- an example of some of the points my project would get; company based in UK, British production staff, British author involved, historical elements of Britain.. If you are an EU citizen perhaps you would have to double up your points and develop a game with British themes, probably hire some British staff and have a company set up here. I don't think it's all about the content shouting Britain but cultural aspects are a part of it.

As for the form filling, this is why we have accountants..

 

Thanks for clearing that out. That makes sense.