Research group for Media, Innovation and Contemporary Technologies

Evaluation of Flanders’ Game Policy

About

The creative industries, and video games in particular, are among the strongest growing sectors in Western developed countries. Due to their high contribution to both job creation and GDP, these industries are subject to extra attention in both policy and academic research. With the current policy agreement of Flanders’ Gamefonds coming to an end, the department of Culture, Youth, Sports and Media (CJSM) of the Government of Flanders requested an evaluation be made of Flanders’ game policy.

This call was broken down into four main topics: An evaluation of the VAF Gamefonds, the needs and expectations of the Flemish gaming sector, a comparison with foreign initiatives, and policy recommendations.

The study will investigate VAF’s suitability as administrator of the Gamefonds and its impact on the developer studios. In parallel the study will interview developers, representatives and other support bodies in the Flemish gaming sector to find out what aid is available, and which aspects of the production process are problematic for the industry. These findings, together with a comparison of successful initiatives abroad, will result in policy recommendations for the next term of the policy agreement on the gaming industry.

Methodology

These questions will be researched through open and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholder in the sector, which will be encoded for further analysis in NVIVIO. Complementary data and financial figures will be gathered through desk research.

Duration of the project

The project runs from 01/06/2013 - 31/09/2016.

Staff involved

  • Prof. dr. Jan Van Looy
  • Lotte Vermeulen
  • Jan Waeben

Financed by