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Serious Games: One Of The Gems Of Dutch Business


Via: Gameskool

The Dutch Labour Party (Dutch: Partij van de Arbeid - PvdA, literally "Party of Labour") wants more support for Serious Games.

"Gaming, and particularly Serious Gaming is one of the unknown jewels of the Dutch business. In Utrecht and Amsterdam there are big clusters: it is a multidisciplinary industry where technology and creativity come together", said Frank Heemskerk, who was a member of the parliament for the Labour Party between 2003 and 2006.

Here is the full interview to Control Magazine (Google Translated):

Interview with Frank Heemskerk (PvdA): "Gaming is highly desirable for modern development"

March 30, 2010
 
In the pre-election political beat every week in The Hague, Control Magazine asked the parties about their vision for the games medium.

We (Control Magazine) spoke with Frank Heemskerk (PvdA), until recently Secretary of State for Economic Affairs on the business environment for game developers.

"Gaming, and particularly Serious Gaming is one of the unknown jewels of the Dutch business. Utrecht and Amsterdam are big clusters. It is a multidisciplinary industry where technology and creativity come together. "

Heemskerk also talked about major drivers for Serious Games Market growth. "It is a tool for training and disaster exercises", he said.

According to Heemskerk his party has already been supporting the game industry. "We have funds accessible to businesses that sit at the intersection of technology and creativity. I think that more should be done. Movies Fund could be also made accessible to game developers as games are almost full-length movies. And yes, games are also  part of our culture."

Banks must understand that half finished game is also a capital good!

The Labour Party is committed to game industry growth in three areas: "A: We want various support schemes available to game companies. We also want banks to provide easy credit, and realize that half finished game is also a capital good. B: We continue to push towards open standards and open source software. C: And thirdly we want to modernize copyright. Of course we want to protect the rights holders, but that should not be in the way of innovation.