Philadelphia may become the center of video gaming
Sean Smith
Issue date: 8/14/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Is Philadelphia the new center for video games? They answer is not yet, but that could change soon.
Municipalities all over have been developing different tax incentives, such as tax rebates and credits, to attract videogame developers to the city. Similar things were done for the film industry. Savannah Ga., recently offered free rent to the companies for a year if they develop their games there. Why is this so important? Video games are a good industry to bring into the city. They have a two-to-three-year production cycle, and bring in highly skilled employees to the city and offer jobs that are high paying.
The Videogame Growth Initiative Philadelphia is the main force trying to bring video game development to the city. The group recently had a meeting with state representatives to try and convince them about the benefits of creating outreach to video game community Audio engineer Mike Worth along with local video game executive Damon Alberts, Drexel professor Frank Lee, lawyer Dennis Manning and developer Hardik Bhatt are behind the movement.
"There's no reason Philadelphia can't be the Hollywood for video games," Bhatt says.
So far, only eight have video game-focused incentives, according to VGI's research. Philadelphia can be among the first wave to attract the industry and establish an entrenched video game sector.
Philly's low living cost is extremely attractive as well as the infrastructure for the industry in the form of universities, in particular the University of Pennsylvania. UPenn has the only Ivy League game development program in the entire country. Graduates from the program are often offered jobs from West Coast game developers.
Cities such as Austin are offering a 5 percent to 7 percent rebate on cash expenditures. Boston is planning a 25 percent tax credit. Other states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Connecticut are offering similar enticements, which means Philly will need to be more creative when attracting potential studios.
Municipalities all over have been developing different tax incentives, such as tax rebates and credits, to attract videogame developers to the city. Similar things were done for the film industry. Savannah Ga., recently offered free rent to the companies for a year if they develop their games there. Why is this so important? Video games are a good industry to bring into the city. They have a two-to-three-year production cycle, and bring in highly skilled employees to the city and offer jobs that are high paying.
The Videogame Growth Initiative Philadelphia is the main force trying to bring video game development to the city. The group recently had a meeting with state representatives to try and convince them about the benefits of creating outreach to video game community Audio engineer Mike Worth along with local video game executive Damon Alberts, Drexel professor Frank Lee, lawyer Dennis Manning and developer Hardik Bhatt are behind the movement.
"There's no reason Philadelphia can't be the Hollywood for video games," Bhatt says.
So far, only eight have video game-focused incentives, according to VGI's research. Philadelphia can be among the first wave to attract the industry and establish an entrenched video game sector.
Philly's low living cost is extremely attractive as well as the infrastructure for the industry in the form of universities, in particular the University of Pennsylvania. UPenn has the only Ivy League game development program in the entire country. Graduates from the program are often offered jobs from West Coast game developers.
Cities such as Austin are offering a 5 percent to 7 percent rebate on cash expenditures. Boston is planning a 25 percent tax credit. Other states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Connecticut are offering similar enticements, which means Philly will need to be more creative when attracting potential studios.
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