Game Funding in the US & Europe

GameIndustry.biz has a pretty interesting piece on the funding of games in North America and another one on the same subject in Europe. Interesting reads because they touch on why games from the two different areas are so different, and try to uncover a bit about the future.

Perhaps the biggest contrast between Europe and the other major development regions of North America and Asia-Pacific is the number of countries – and very distinct cultures – it encompasses. The United Kingdom alone includes four very distinct nations, each with its own language and cultural background. The European Union contains 27 member states, with half a billion citizens and 23 official languages. The continent encompasses predominantly Christian, Muslim and secular states, sun-kissed beaches on the Mediterranean and Arctic tundra in Scandinavia, proud former Imperial powers in the West and states from whom the veil of the Iron Curtain was only recently lifted in the East.

This diversity breeds creativity, with European studios often seen as more risk-taking and innovative than their overseas rivals – even by publishers and critics based in the US. However, in the past it has also led to the creation of many games whose appeal was highly localised. In the large region centred on Germany and its neighbours, for instance, locally developed strategy and RPG titles have traditionally sold incredibly strongly, but developers there have faced difficulty in building products that appeal to a wider market. The UK’s close cultural ties with the United States, by contrast, have helped developers there to create games with broader international appeal.

This situation has changed dramatically in recent years, thanks in no small part to the European Union – which has facilitated and encouraged the movement of talented staff between European nations. Although language remains a barrier, English language abilities in most continental nations are excellent, which gives development studios located all around the region a common language in which to work.

A visit to any European studio is an eye-opener – the mix of nationalities, races, languages and cultures represented is more diverse than ever before. This blending of European cultures is delivering huge success in terms of creating games with international appeal, as it provides the development process with a wide range of different perspectives.

Thanks RPGWatch.

In other news, Gamasutra is taking a look at the recognition of games as art in France and considering its possible consequences.

And in other news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.