Newsletter not displaying properly? Make sure you select 'Show images', or click here to view in your web browser.
By the time you read this, it'll all be over. The ballots will have been cast in the British General Election on Thursday, May 6th, and while it's highly unlikely that we'll have a new government yet, we'll be starting to get an inkling of the new direction the country will be taking.
That direction is one which will be watched more keenly than ever by those involved in the games business - from the biggest publishers right down to the bedroom developers hoping to create the next break-out hit on iPhone or Facebook. Politics has always, of course, had an impact on our sector, but never to quite the extent that it's having now.
The reason for this sudden interest is because the last five years have seen a complete reversal of mainstream political attitudes to videogames. The narrative of almost three decades has been comprehensively overturned. Our industry has, for most of its existence, fought a rearguard action against reactionary politicians, defending its right to exist against proponents of censorship and hand-wringing, headline-grabbing, "won't somebody think of the children!" politics.
This is an excerpt from the full article. Read the whole thing by visiting GamesIndustry.biz
Today's top stories
TIGA optimistic a minority Tory government will keep tax breaks
10:32 - If games industry continues to lobby key government members there's "still a chance" says Wilson
Pro-gaming MPs retain parliamentary seats
09:29 - Watson, Vaizey and Foster survive UK general election, as does games critic Keith Vaz
Slitherine and Matrix Games complete merger
08:22 - Strategy and war game specialists intend to dominate niche digital markets
Today's feature
Gaming the Vote
Whatever the outcome of the UK election, there will still be work to be done if British development is to remain world-class
The rest of today's news
Activision profits hit $381m in first quarter
21:36 - Continued success of Modern Warfare and World of Warcraft helps company achieve better than expected results
Capcom profits plummet 73%
08:42 - Net sales down 27.3% as publisher admits to "sluggish" year
Kotick admits more could leave Infinity Ward
08:46 - CEO says decision to remove West and Zampella "was not taken lightly"
E3 floor space almost sold out
10:47 - Valve, Havok, Nvidia, Zoo Games, SouthPeak and more added to exhibitor list
Dragon Quest beats Metal Gear in Japan
10:16 - Square Enix spin-off defeats Peace Walker in busy Golden Week sales
Jobs
Hot job:
Experienced Engine Programmer - FPS team/Ubisoft Massive (Ubisoft Massive) - Sweden
UK & Europe 
PR Manager Urgent Opportunity (OPM) - South East, England
Engine/Graphics Programmer (Aardvark Swift) - Midlands, England
North America 
Senior Gameplay Programmer *AAA studio* (MPG Universal) - Canada
Senior Video Game Artist (Other Ocean Interactive) - Canada
Rest of World 
Programming Director - AAA Next Gen Projects (Interactive Selection) - China
Virtual Worlds System Adnimistrator (CCP) - Shanghai, China
Recent features
Coming of Age
Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games, on why Australian legislation should introduce an R18+ rating for videogames
Autodesk's Marc Stevens
The middleware giant's VP of games talks economy, iPhone, Facebook and the Uncanny Valley
The Flight Deck
Firemint's Alexandra Peters on how the Melbourne company is building its original IP iPhone business
Dispelling the Myths of MMOs
Monumental's Paul Mayze explores the three key myths surrounding MMO games
Also on GamesIndustry.biz
Events
An essential guide to what's coming up in the games industry calendar.
Directory
Your comprehensive contacts book, covering all sectors of the industry.
Release Dates
Keep track of which games are coming out when.
