The UK government has formed the Video Games Council, an organisation made up of representatives of the UK gaming industry. Unveiled last month, the council and its members will work with the government to help UK studios with “growth, innovation, and international reach”, giving them a direct line to lawmakers to air their concerns.
However, the council is now being criticised for only accepting the voices of management, not the workers who make the games. IWGB Game Workers, a union representing game devs in the UK, has sent an open letter to the Labour MPs overseeing the Video Games Council, arguing that not including the union in the council could lead to the “acceleration [of] harmful trends”, such as crunch, layoffs, and increased AI usage.
Game Workers Union Hits Back As UK Government Forms A Council Of CEOs And Management, Not Workers
While the Video Games Council has representatives from across various companies with UK studios, such as Microsoft, Rebellion, and Larian, all of the representatives are in leadership positions. While this makes sense, since they represent the companies’ best interests, those are not necessarily the best interests of the developers who work at those companies.
In fact, one of the companies that has a place on the council, Ustwo Studios, was accused of union busting in 2019. That’s not even to mention the numerous issues at Microsoft, which has faced widespread condemnation in the gaming industry for continuously laying off staff across Xbox, resulting in game cancellations and studio closures.
“The UK games industry, despite contributing over £3 billion to our country’s GDP, is in a bad enough state as it is… Mass layoffs, crunch culture, wage stagnation, toxic work environments, and rampant job insecurity are driving talent abroad or away from creating video games altogether,” the open letter from IWGB Game Workers reads. “Yet, the UK Video Games Council includes no trade unions, no worker representatives, and no voices from grassroots initiatives, that have supported vulnerable workers for years.
“How can a body responsible for shaping the future of digital play ignore the very people making video games?” it continues. “Game workers in the UK deserve to be listened to and to have a seat at the table. We urge you to acknowledge us.”
Additionally, the union calls on the Labour government to address the lack of regional representation in the council. As it highlights, 13 of the 14 members have their central offices in the South of England, which ignores the North of England, as well as Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
The government is yet to respond to the letter, and it remains to be seen if the union and other organisations representing the workers are given a seat at the table.
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