Plans for £5m computer gaming academy in Liverpool

As David says, the gaming industry is a real success story for the region but tends to hide its light under a bushel. Companies such as Bizarre Creations, for example, tend to let their games do the talking.
Too many people still look on video gaming as a fringe activity for teenagers, but it's a massive industry and consoles are hugly popular with young and old alike.
The Government and the Northwest Development Agency believe that the digital and creative sectors are vital to the future of our economy, and the gaming sector will play a key role.
Cllrs Gary Millar and Laurence Sidorczuk should be praised for their vision, and if this academy gets the go-ahead then it can only help reinforce Liverpool's position as one of the UK's leading creative hubs.
The industry is coping comparatively well in the recession, but many developers remain worried that the UK could lose talented developers to other countries that offer tax breaks to the sector. That led to the formation of the Games Up? campaign to urge the UK Government to consider offering its own tax breaks.
Click here to see an article Sarah Chudley of Bizarre Creations wrote for the LDP Creative page last year in support of Games Up?
But last month the Government said it would "collect and review the evidence" to see if a tax relief scheme could be introduced in this country, a move earmly welcomed by the sector.

For more from David Bartlett, visit his excellent Dale Street Blues blog here.