Games and interactive entertainment trade body, Ukie, is pleased to announce that it is donating money for the production of ‘From Bedrooms to Billions’ – an Indiegogo crowdfunded film project which tells the story of how the UK video games industry went from a small cottage industry into the billion dollar entity it is today. The film will be released next year to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the launch of the game Pong, which marked the beginning of the modern video games industry
‘From Bedrooms To Billions’ tells the true story of the UK Video games Industry from 1979-1996, and will feature interviews with most of the key players across UK game design, development, journalism and publishing over that period.
The film is to be made available for free to every secondary school in the UK to promote video games as a career to children. Ukie has played a lead role in getting computer science onto the school curriculum and promoting the games industry to young people through its cross industry Next Gen Skills campaign which has been headed up by Ukie Deputy Chairman and co-author of the Nesta Next Gen Skills report, Ian Livingstone OBE.
Ukie Chairman, Andy Payne said. “When Anthony and Nicola Caulfield approached me to help find some of the originals from the 80’s, it was the easiest decision of my professional life. Hooking them up with the likes of David Braben, Charles Cecil, Ian Livingstone, Gary Bracey, Nick Alexander, Rod Cousens, Andrew and Philip Oliver, Miles Jacobson, Fergus McGovern, Geoff Brown, Ste and John Pickford and many more was a real pleasure. It is great that Ukie have put their hand in their pocket to help fund the film and tell this story which will inspire the next generation of UK base game makers.”
Ukie CEO, Dr Jo Twist said: “We’re really happy to support this exciting film and even happier that it is crowdfunded project. The UK has shaped the modern games industry from the very beginning and has been responsible for some of the best games ever made. In industry started with kids in their bedrooms tinkering with BBC Micros and Spectrums, coding their own fun and we’re now the fastest growing creative industry. From Bedrooms to Billions will tell these incredible stories behind some of the best game developers in the world, and hopefully inspire a new generation of creative coders and game makers.”