My name is Rami Ismail, and I am the newly appointed Government Relations board member of the Dutch Games Association. I’d like to give you occasional updates on the work we’re doing, behind the scenes, to ensure the government and the industry work together to ensure we all have the best opportunities to make games in the Netherlands.
I’ve spent the first few months of my time in this position taking inventory of both what the industry wants and where we are in terms of connections in the government. I’m excited to say that we’re already making progress on a few targets.
- Creating clearer and more cohesive communication towards the government and press, and we’ll make available straight-forward talking points in case you as a developer find yourself in a conversation with government officials or press.
- Our competitive position compared to surrounding nations has been declining as those nations developed ambitious initiatives to empower and embolden their digital transition. We’re communicating to the government our industry’s central position in digital transitions globally, and an opportunity for an ambitious response from the Netherlands.
- We’re exploring steps with the government to make it easier and more affordable to bring in foreign talent through the Income Requirements for Immigration program.
- We’re establishing deeper international collaborations between various European Developer Associations to exchange information and data to support the Games Monitor, as the Dutch government does not categorize the games industry as a discrete industry and thus has no direct insight in information.
- We’re exploring opportunities to make available cultural, creative, and economic support instruments for various divisions of the games industry in the form of funds and cost-reducing programs.
Work is early but ever-ongoing, and for our next step we’re very excited to welcome to this months’ Indigo Showcase various representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy, the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sciences, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Their closer involvement with, connection to, and knowledge about the games industry will continue to increase our ability to ensure supportive policies and opportunities in the Netherlands.
If you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns – please know I am always available at rami@dutchgamesassociation.nl
Best,
–
Rami