The publication by Forfás of a report on the future of the Irish gaming sector, entitled ‘The Games Sector in Ireland: An Action Plan for Growth’, presents a strategic plan for the development of the sector, according to Fine Gael Deputy for Dublin Central and leading political supporter of the games industry, Paschal Donohoe TD.
Deputy Donohoe has long supported this industry and championed its inclusion within the Programme for Government. He produced a Fine Gael policy document on the sector while in Opposition and was one of the driving forces behind the digital gaming conference that is taking place in Dublin today.
“Companies such as Jolt, Popcap and Demonware Activision are world leaders in this industry and have already located their European and regional headquarters here in Ireland. The strategy contained in this report outlines what we need to do to increase investment in this area and better support our local digital businesses. This ball is already rolling for Ireland but we now have a real opportunity to increase our market share of this massive business.
“This report outlines what needs to be done and I will actively support the recommendations of this strategy by Government. The suggested plans include:
• Building skills and expertise: while we continue to develop our own local talent we must make it easier to hire and attract talent from abroad;
• Developing a gaming cluster: developing talent exchange programmes between digital gaming companies in separate sectors;
• Driving R&D: making it easier to locate and drive innovation in this sector within Ireland.
“The biggest games, many of which are supported by Irish companies, already exceed the sales and profit of big film launches. Ireland did so well out of the film industry. This sector is already huge but will be massive in the near future. Implementing the recommendations of this report will ensure that Ireland can, and will, reap the dividends of this sector through further expansion and increased future employment.”