62% of parents believe games offer a good career for children

Eidos life president Ian Livingstone has teased some of the findings of the independent Skills Review that he's leading for the government, NESTA and SkillSet, with a goal to transforming the UK into the best source of talent for the videogame and visual effects sector.

Revealing findings at the London Games Conference this evening, Livingstone showed early encouraging results about parent's belief that the games industry offers strong career opportunities for their children.

Specifically, 62 per cent of 918 parents polled by IPSOS MORI thought working in the videogame industry was a good career for a young person.

But looking at knowledge of some of the most popular videogame franchises, only 3 per cent of 537 young people polled knew that Grand Theft Auto, LEGO: Star Wars and SingStar games were made in the UK, while 12 per cent of parents knew where the blockbuster games originated from.

Livingstone also thanked the 250 games companies that have assisted the review so far, and was upbeat about the findings, to be revealed fully early next year.

"The response has been incredible," he said. "Over 250 computer and videogames companies have responded to the employers survey. That's brilliant, it shows that skills really is a genuine concern for us all.

"It's really important for the UK that we do focus on our UK talent. It's imperative that we produce the best talent in the world, the best studios, the best content. We must put an end to the current situation where young people invest their time and money into university courses that fail to provide them with the skills they need to find a good job in the industry."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...r-for-children