The Advocate
By NED RANDOLPH
A preliminary study released today by the Chamber of Greater Baton Rouge shows that financial incentives would help attract the intellectual talent critical to building a video game industry in Louisiana.
The most important factor in deciding where to locate a video game development house is having people in the area with relevant industry experience, according to a survey of 54 industry professionals from around the country.
Video game development jobs are knowledge-based -- with designers, programmers, artists and other professional services that typically require higher education. There are an estimated 1,770 people in Texas employed in the industry with an average salary of $75,000, or $132 million in wages alone, the study found.
Few governments are giving the industry financial support. Georgia passed the first tax credit program in the United States that applies to video game developers.
Canada spent about $15 million to lure Ubisoft. The results are 1,000 new jobs in Montreal and more than 2,000 by 2010, the study found.
In Louisiana, financial incentives coupled with a video game incubator would allow industry sponsors to actively recruit developers at conferences and site visits.
Hosting industry conferences like the recent animation festival at LSU should be pursued, according to the study.
In the long term, the state should partner with industry to build higher education degree programs.
The study was sponsored jointly by the Chamber and Louisiana Technology Park and conducted by Andy Redman, a graduate student at Cambridge University - MIT Institute, and the son of Carl Redman the managing editor of The Advocate.
Chamber officials will be passing out copies of the study at the Senate’s Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee meeting today.
Publish Date:
05-16-2005
