95 percent of UK game design degrees are sub-standard

The UK video game industry is facing an uncertain future as the majority of games design degree courses are labelled a waste of time by the industry. David Braben, creator of all time classic Elite, has gone on record to claim that 95 percent of courses are simply not fit for purpose. The resulting skills shortage could mean that £700m of foreign investment into the UK gets lost, along with 1,700 jobs, over the next five years according to gaming industry experts. David Braben carved out a much deserved reputation as a game developer guru by creating the space trading game Elite way back in 1984. One of the first games to use wireframe 3D graphics, Braben was an innovator as well as a developer. In his new role as spokesman for gaming industry campaign group 'Games Up?' Braben appears genuinely concerned that innovation could be a dying art as far as British game designers are concerned.