As France gets its first CSGO Major, what can the UK Government do to better support esports? We interview Shadow Culture Minister Alex Davies-Jones at Westminster Games Week: ‘I don’t think the government ‘get’ esports. I’d encourage all parliamentarians & stakeholders to get involved and see what esports is all about’

Alex Davies-Jones

Shadow Culture Minister Alex Davies-Jones has called on the UK Government and other MPs to better understand esports in an interview with Esports News UK.

As Labour’s Member of Parliament (MP) for Pontypridd in Wales, and Shadow Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Alex recently met with the Esports Wales team and congratulated them on their medals in the inaugural medals in the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships.

Esports News UK editor Dom Sacco spoke with Alex at the Westminster Games Week reception (pictured) last week, which saw several games industry members and ministers meet. Representatives from Tencent, Epic Games, EA and more were present, as well as ministers like Alex Sobel, Shadow Minister for Nature, Water and Flooding.

Talks were given by Ukie CEO Dr Jo Twist, Ukie chair and Hello Games head of publishing Tim Woodley, Xbox corporate VP of product services Dave McCarthy, and Seema Malhotra, Labour & Co-op MP for Feltham & Heston and Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers.

The interview comes as the French President Emmanuel Macron announced France’s first ever CSGO Major will take place at the Accor Arena in Paris next May – the Blast.tv Paris Major 2023. This follows supportive comments he made towards making France ‘the country of video games’ and an event he invited French esports talent to earlier this year, prior to the Trackmania Cup 2022 event in Paris.

While the UK has already had a CSGO Major and other big esports events like Rocket League London Majors, and esports contributes some £111.5m to UK GDP, there has been a notable lack of support or recognition of esports in the UK, with some issues around visas and SIC codes (which we’ll come onto in the interview).

“It’s key we bring more esports events to the UK. If we’ve got that breadth of talent here in the UK, we should be hosting big tournaments, there should be more showcases to show the public to get more people engaged and more people involved.”

Alex Davies-Jones, Labour

London & Partners’ head of major events and city experience, Wayne Sullivan, said at ESI London 2022 last week that they’re working to push London as a destination for esports, with “changes coming” and to “watch this space”.

But some UK esports executives like Grant Rousseau of Team Falcons, specifically want the UK Government to do better:

There have been changes at the government level recently. Last week, Michelle Donelan was appointed Culture Secretary (Secretary of State for DCMS), replacing Naddine Dories, who recently explained why the Government is not banning the sale of loot boxes to children.

We have reached out to the DCMS to ask what its plans are for esports, but in the meantime, and as the French President gets his first CSGO Major confirmed, what can the UK Government be doing to better support esports?

Interview with Shadow Culture Minister Alex Davies-Jones on esports in the UK

Alex Davies-Jones Esports
Alex Davies-Jones speaks with Esports News UK founder Dom Sacco
What are your view on esports?

Alexandra Davies-Jones: I think esports is up and coming, it’s something that anybody can get involved in. That’s why I love it so much – it’s inclusive. Whether you’re playing the games or working behind the scenes in the infrastructure that supports them, on the stage commentating or part of the team, it’s so inclusive.

Margot James backed UK esports pretty well a few years ago, but we haven’t had much support since. Why do you think there’s a lack of perceived support from the UK Government towards esports?

I think there’s been two problems. I think the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) within government has always been seen as a secondary department for want of a better phrase, it’s not been given the weight and status it rightly deserves at the heart of government in terms of what it brings to our economy, our digital economy, or for our cultural way of life. So I think that’s one big part of it.

And secondly, I don’t think they understand [esports], I don’t think they get it. They’re not tuned in to what esports is all about, they’re not seeing how it’s attracting so many people into the industry, and I would encourage all parliamentarians and all stakeholders to get involved and see what esports is, because now that I’ve seen it, from my point of view, seeing the Welsh [Commonwealth esports] team and being involved in my shadow ministerial role, it’s a vital moving tool forward and I want the UK to be an esports hub.

‘The esports industry isn’t given the status it deserves in the UK and it’s not recognised for the economic impact its having on the country. The government talks a lot about making the UK the tech hub of the world and levelling up, but it’s time it puts its mettle where its mouth is and actually push that into action.’

Alex Davies-Jones, Labour

I think more could be done to push esports forward in the UK. A Welsh Labour government is in power in Wales, but what would Labour do if it was in power in Westminster?

In Wales, where I’m an MP and we have a Welsh Labour government, we are supporting our Welsh team. They’re funded by the Arts Council of Wales and they are being given that support via the government, and they’re getting into and making leaps with local schools. We’re trying to link up with the FAW (Football Association of Wales) so that when they’re going into schools and launching their academy, they’re also being taught about esports.

So if you’re not the best person in football but you really enjoy it, you could be the best esports player there is, and it’s about working hand-in-hand with our grassroots sports team and then also showing them that esports is a route for them to go down.

Because it’s esports, it falls between that difficult category of not being Sport Wales, Sport England or the Arts Council England or Wales, but they have managed to access some of that, and it’s about showing people it’s incredibly inclusive, incredibly good for morale and they’re doing some really creative work in online safety, and it’s all about making sure it’s available for everyone.

One of the things some in UK esports – like Royal Ravens MD ODEE – want from the government is SIC (standard industrial classification of economic activities) codes to help government see the amount of money esports generates in the UK. We’ve had problems with visas in the past but I believe that area has improved in recent years. But there are things to work on.

I completely agree with you, I think it’s an issue we’ve got across the DCMS department. This industry isn’t given the status it deserves, it’s not recognised for the economic impact its having on the country, and also that soft policy that countries around the world can see what we can do. The government talks a lot about making the UK the tech hub of the world and levelling up, but it’s time it puts its mettle where its mouth is and actually pushed that into action. I think esports would be a great tool for that.

Commonwealth Esports Crowd
Creative Wales recently provided £25,000 in funding to Esports Wales, which will support the establishment of a Welsh league, leading to representation at tournaments in the UK and beyond

Earlier in the year London hosted a Rocket League Major. And more recently, The Commonwealth Esports Championships took place in Birmingham, with Esports Wales winning gold in the Rocket League open, silver in eFootball women’s and bronze in the eFootball open. So you’re engaging with them?

I am, I’m proud to meet with the Esports Wales team and find out about all the incredible work they’ve been doing, and to congratulate them on what an incredible achivement they’re bringing. It’s right that they get that recognition for what they do for their country and also as a flagship team in the UK.

It’s key we bring more esports events to the UK, they were telling me they’re struggling to get more big events here for a number of reasons, but if we’ve got that breadth of talent here in the UK, we should be hosting big tournaments, there should be more showcases to show the public to get more people engaged and more people involved.

You can follow Alex Davies-Jones on Twitter here, and there’s more info about Westminster Games Week 2022 on the Ukie website.

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