Cary, N.C. — Wake County has launched a new marketing campaign targeted at the video-gaming industry in an effort to get more companies to move to the area, develop software and create jobs.
"This is the hub worldwide for making engine technology for games, which a lot of people don't even know," said Mike Capps, president of Epic Games, one of more than 30 gaming businesses in the Triangle.
Capps said the video-gaming industry is bigger than the move industry for box office sales.
That's why Wake County Economic Development hopes its new marketing campaign can get companies to focus on Raleigh. Its target is serious gaming, a bit different than the entertainment side, Executive Director Kenneth Atkins said.
"Serious games use the same technology, the simulation, and in many cases the 3-D interactive components for training purposes," he said.
One of the selling points for the campaign is the area schools.
For example, Wake Technical Community College has a new two-year associate's degree in the field. Teachers say the program is successful and that they are having trouble finding enough space.
"We started with 50-some students for 2006," said Dr. Kai Wang, who serves as the department head for the college's gaming technology program. "Now, we have close to 200 students in our program."
Those students go out and get jobs in an industry that is hurting for qualified candidates.
And with the prospect of getting more companies and creating more jobs, the outlook for gaming is getting serious.
The gaming industry also has support at the state level. The House of Representatives has a bill that would give tax credits to companies that produce digital games.
Wake Launches Campaign to Lure Video-Gaming Industry
- Reporter: Erin Coleman
- Photographer: Richard Adkins
- Web Editor: Kelly Gardner
RELATED TOPICS: Wake County, Raleigh
Copyright 2011 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
11 Comments
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Yeah, and I hear adults also still play basketball, golf, chess, checkers and even monopoly! I mean, grow up already!
If you examine the video gaming demographics you find the average gamer's age is 30 years. 43% of gamers are 18-49.
http://www.theesa.com/files/2005EssentialFacts.pdf
Behaving like a responsible adult doesn't mean never having fun.
(Also, let me head off the inevitable comment by saying: "oh noes, video games are ruining the family/society!")
November 20, 2007 9:19 a.m.
Opposition to gambling isn't limited to religious circles. Lotteries/Casinos/Gaming represent a pyramid scheme to redistribute wealth from the community to the coffers of whomever is running the game. Gaming produces many negative side effects while offering very few, if any, real benefits ("it's entertainment", yeah sure).
Legal gaming isn't a sin, it's simply bad public policy.
November 20, 2007 9:04 a.m.
Godless Liberal; give me a break. It's called the "free market". If I spend 3 years making a game that sucks, I deserve to close. This industry is no different than the film industry. Creative, original, fresh programming will win every time.
November 20, 2007 8:53 a.m.
Certainly someone has to create the games, but I'd rather see the triangle investing in sustainable software industries.
November 20, 2007 8:49 a.m.
Well, since Black is in prison, Morgan is in hot water, and many of Black's cohorts are being investigated, I guess you would support such politicians as long as they let you gamble.
You need not say more.
November 20, 2007 8:46 a.m.