TIGA, the UK gaming industry’s very own trade association today announced Bournemouth University as its newest member.
Suffering from the effects of inflated taxation and a damaged economy, the British games industry has been quietly suffering for some time. In the wake of the recession many development houses have either gone under or packed up shop and set sail for the fabled tax-light shores of Eastern Europe. Today’s announcement, via press release, from TIGA could be seen to be a part of the group’s plans to stop this trend and ensure the future of the British games industry.
Offering a full BSc in Games Technology, Bournemouth University has been trying to become the go-to training camp for the next wave of British gaming talent for quite a while. The course even offers modules in entrepreneurship, teaching its students how to set up their own company. Bournemouth University has welcomed the plan, expressing their desire to take advantage of TIGA’s contacts within the industry to help find their students industry placements.
Outside of this, the specifics of how TIGA plans to help the university remain a mystery, as neither TIGA nor Bournemouth University have disclosed any concrete policies. All TIGA CEO Dr. Richard Wilson had to say about the group’s plans for their newest member was, "TIGA is committed to working with its university and academic members to help facilitate greater knowledge exchange to benefit both students, universities and the wider industry".
