TIGA Presses UK Government to Encourage Educational Games

The Independent Game Developers Association has issued a statement urging the UK Coalition Government to encourage the creation of video games designed for education and learning. The statement follows up on U.S. President Barack Obama's recent announcement of the National STEM Video Game Challenge, a nationwide competition promoting the development of games that educate players in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. "It is wonderful to see the American President recognize the enormous potential for video games to encourage education and learning," said TIGA CEO Dr. Richard Wilson. "In the UK, a fifth of game developers already develop serious or educational games, including Blitz Games, Caspian, Digital 2.0, PIXELearning, and PlayGen. Additionally, organizations such as Learning without Frontiers do tremendous work in bringing developers and educators together, as well as highlighting the role of video games in learning." Wilson continues: "We need to develop this potential. TIGA will encourage the UK Coalition Government and other policy makers to examine ways of harnessing the power of video games to promote education and learning. TIGA will work with UK Parliamentarians to increase their understanding of the potential for educational and serious games to promote learning and training."