Don’t let immigration plan signal game over for growing industry - The Yorkshire Post says

Marquee games have been developed in this region and the innovation emanating from Yorkshire is now seeping into other industries.

Therefore the warning from the video games industry in Yorkshire over changes in immigration rules should be heeded by the Government.

The Government has said from spring skilled workers will need to earn over £38,700 for their foreign spouses to live with them in the UK, up from £18,600. This poorly thought out policy would negatively impact the video games industry in the region more so than the capital due to salary variances between Yorkshire and London,

By starving video games developers of skills and expertise from abroad, the Government would also be putting at risk the pipeline of domestic talent.

Yorkshire is lucky to be home to a number of world class universities delivering cutting edge programmes to equip the next generation of developers. But the skills that they provide need to be coupled with the experience of developers from across the globe.

The purpose of the video games industry isn’t just to entertain people. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword in recent years but video games developers have been toying with AI since the early days of the microchip. It is in many ways their bread and butter.

The Government needs to rethink its approach to immigration or it could be game over for one the region’s most exciting sectors.