At a British Screen Advisory Council seminar yesterday, I was suddenly struck with a truism that should have been blatantly obvious before but needed to be spelled out for my very tired mind. The games industry subsists by appealing to a global market, and therefore any Great British Contribution must pander to an international audience. Suddenly the penny dropped, and I realised that the mantra that some believe could "save" the UK industry, to "emphasise what's different about British outlook and culture," is a pipe dream.
Home grown intellectual property from other media transferred into games falters in an international market because the brands are particular to the UK. Making games that would appeal to only a British audience would be business suicide, and therefore the call for unique game properties is an extremely difficult one to answer on a global scale. Thus sequelitis and a reliance upon existing international pan-media IP.
However, I do have faith there is a bit of insidious Britishness in the international success stories that come from these shores.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Home-grown and filled with very British humour, from the scatological to the extremely clever. GTA: London 1969 was an aberration, and made by a Canadian company.
Tomb Raider That Lara Croft is a very cynical lady.
Conker's Bad Fur Day Bizarre, twisted humour that - if it was a TV show - would only get broadcast on BBC2.
Colin McRae Rally How many games can you name that feature so many regional accents?
The Getaway More Alfie than Godfather.
Populous Only the subject of a former Empire could come up with a god simulation.
What have I missed, and what in the world would a game made only for a British audience look like? A massively multiplayer EastEnders?
