Say what?! Gaming is just "one notch up from porn"? Not literally, but seriously, the British parliament pays little attention to the gaming industry, treating it like some cultural minority. As a result, gaming in the UK has gotten so bad that developers from other countries are buying British companies out. More in the full article.

Tiga, the national trade association representing game developers in the UK and Europe, recently sent out a press release related to Grand Theft Auto 4 (PS3, Xbox 360).

The press release mentioned how the success of the game was indicative of the strength of the UK Games Development sector, and further added that such success showed that the games development sector was deserving of tax credits and other incentives. Find out what Tiga said after the jump!

The recent Byron report released in Europe gave the different classification groups in the region something to think about. Despite advocating a medium between both the BBFC and PEGI rating systems, ELSPA had its own opinion regarding the matter by favoring the PEGI Age Rating System as the sole classification system for video games in Europe. Find out the reason behind this by reading our full article after the jump.

The recent review released by Dr. Tanya Byron regarding the rating standards of violent video games in Europe was met with a most positive response from the different media classification groups in the region. The BBFC, ELSPA, ISFE, and Tiga each gave their own statements, generally agreeing with the suggestions given in the comprehensive document released by the British psychologist. More on this in our full article.

The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) has just announced the list of their finalists for the upcoming TIGA awards which is going to happen in London on January 30, 2008.

Two new categories were added to the roster list for this year's awards. Finalists that are included can only win through the peer votes of TIGA members.

Catch the finalists and the additional categories after the jump!

With all the flak that Rockstar Games has gotten lately due to their controversial Manhunt 2 (PSP, Wii) game, two respected people have stepped up to the plate in Rockstar Games' defense: Tiga boss Fred Hasson and psychologist Guy Cumberbatch.

Read what these guys had to say about Manhunt 2 after the jump!

The Develop Conference & Expo happens on the 24th to the 26th of July and developers are gearing up from all over the world to take part in one of the region's biggest developer gatherings to take place on an annual basis.

Headlining the shindig are top-brass companies Sony, Philips, Autodesk, and Nokia, who will be the prime movers and shakers in the event. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will once again be the Platinum sponsor of the event while Philips and Autodesk are at Gold and Silver respectively. Nokia is the mobile sponsor of the gathering.

The event seeks to bring together the development community with European gaming market interests in a three-day conference where interests and demonstrations are exhibited for industry insiders, game media and the public. Top-caliber speakers from within the industry are invited to share their views and knowledge of the business.

Animazoo, artemdigital, Audiokinetic, Autodesk, Beyerdynamic, CRI Middleware, Develop Magazine, Emergent Game Technologies, gamesindustry.biz, Hansoft, IGDA, Instinct Technology, Mobile Entertainment, Nokia, Perforce Software, Philips amBX, Sony Computer Entertainment, Southampton Solent University, Tech Excel, Testronic Labs and Tiga will participate in this year's event to be held in Brighton.

As Gordon Brown laces up to take over the spot that Tony Blair is leaving, shock waves are felt even on the British games industry after key people in the Department of Trade and Industry were cut out of the loop, compromising the sector's ability to communicate with the government.

The man being referred to is John Kroeger, known as the "DTI's game man." Kroeger is recognized as the human link between the game publishers, the consumers, and the government for his expertise and dedication to the business.

Industry big boys Paul Jackson, Ray Maguire, and Andy Payne admit that the financial support for the development of the gaming business has dwindled in the Blair administration, and may continue to do so under a Premier who has other concerns in his priority heap ahead of gaming. Still, the top cats haven't lost faith.

"This does not mean we won't be heard in Government. Our industry, alongside ELSPA and TIGA, has forged stronger relationships than ever with a number of Government bodies," says SCE UK Vice President Ray Maguire. "This allows us to continue the work all parties have done thus far, to further strengthen and promote the UK games sector, at home and abroad."

The UK gaming market is one of the most vibrant in its region, with sales being a major point of focus by international publishers. Still, it's also a fact that it has one of the highest average prices of game hardware ands software in the world, perhaps an indirect effect of the absence of strong support.

As the video game industry grows, countries start offering game development courses. The UK, for instance, has more than 80 educational institutions catering aspiring developers. TIGA, a trade association representing games software developers with 157 members, says that "Very few graduates of so-called 'games' courses are fit for purpose."

TIGA's CEO, Fred Hasson, expressed his lack of trust in these courses actually producing game developers. He quoted a company saying "We don't even know if we'll use them for QA". Apparently, Hasson is not happy with these courses. According to him, "Basically, these courses are a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but no basic foundations for a skill set."

To address this problem, he asked the government for help. "We have contributed quite significantly because it's the best thing we're going to get. If we don't tell the government what we want, they're not going to listen."

GamesIndustry.biz reports that Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot will be keynoting this year's Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival (EIEF) to be held in August. Guillemot will be delivering one of the event's two keynote addresses. The BBC's Simon Nelson will be delivering the other.

Fred Hasson, the CEO of festival organiser TIGA, said that this year's event will look at how video games interface with other media. This will most likely be the focus of Guillemot and Nelson's keynote addresses. Also taking to the stage will be Jim Purbrick from Second Life creator Linden Lab and a spokesperson from EVE Online publisher CCP.

The EIEF is the longest running event of its kind in the UK. This year's event will be the fifth time that the videogame conference will take place. Exact dates for the conference have yet to be announced.