A pixelated Boris Johnson recently appeared in Minecraft to promote a £1.2 million investment in a new initiative for the UK’s gaming sector called Games London.
The video shows the London Mayor walking through a rather impressive recreation of the city as he discusses the impact of gaming on our economy and his plans to turn London into the games capital of the world.
It’s an interesting move from the man who previously held gaming responsible for ‘ignorance, underachievement and poverty’. But the sector is clearly growing and maturing, with companies continually moving to London; bringing jobs, expertise and opportunities for collaboration.
Companies like NASA, the NHS and the BBC have already started collaborating with gaming studios. So, with Boris introducing Games London, now is the time to consider whether the gaming sector could help your business.
If carefully designed and developed, games can become great marketing tools, successful revenue streams and powerful educators.
The creation of Games London most likely stems from the fact that UK consumers have spent almost £4 billion on games, with UK-based studios contributing some incredibly popular titles like Little Big Planet and Grand Theft Auto.
That huge spending figure might also explain Boris Johnson’s change of attitude from this:
Boris Johnson, spokesperson for Games London, said this about video games in 2006. https://t.co/uCtHvu6ALI pic.twitter.com/lPaOYzW1Nl
— Keza MacDonald (@kezamacdonald) January 19, 2016
To this:
Pleased @LondonLEP is investing in @londongamesfest to make London the games capital of the world https://t.co/BSvaqKb7zC
— Boris Johnson (@MayorofLondon) January 19, 2016
Of course, a lot can change in 10 years, but it is great that he is recognising the importance of the gaming industry to our economy and the positive impact that well designed games can have on our health (e.g Wii Fit), our children’s education (e.g Kahoot!) and our nation’s creative reputation.