TIGA wants games reclassified as 'cultural' items in Europe

Supported by local game developers, UK game industry trade body TIGA has called for European authorities to reclassify video games as 'cultural products' rather than software. The move would see video games joining the ranks of 'cultural products' like music and film, and it could potentially make it easier for European Union member state governments to provide financial support (tax breaks, grants, etc.) to video game creators. However, some high-profile UK developers, including LittleBigPlanet 3 studio Media Molecule, seem to be backing TIGA's activism on artistic grounds. "[Games] have so much artistry put into them; they have to be built from scratch," Media Molecule's Rex Crowle told a BBC Newsbeat reporter. "It brings together so many talents, from architectural design to audio design to storytelling." This is business as usual for TIGA, which has a long history of calling for government support of game developers. The organization celebrated this summer when tax breaks for video game companies were finally put into effect, then went on to call for a $5 million game development fund in the UK and ask the British government to provide a training tax relief scheme for game companies.