Flanders will soon have its own "Gamehub," a physical place where game developers can work together and exchange ideas, announced Flemish Media Minister Benjamin Dalle at the FACTS festival in Ghent on Saturday.
The gaming sector is doing well, in Flanders and elsewhere in the world. Between 2017 and 2020, the number of Belgian games companies rose from 65 to 84. Globally, the sector has also grown in importance, with a 52% increase in turnover over the last four years to around €180 billion.
"The Flemish gaming sector is really underestimated, there is a lot of potential for growth," said Dalle, reports the Belga News Agency.
"Games can play an important role in our society, especially in education and for the mental health of children and young people. With this memorandum, we are taking the sector to the next level," he added.
Translation: "We are stepping up a gear with the Flemish gaming policy."
The "Level Up" memorandum approved by the Flemish government contains 25 proposals for the sector. One of them is to provide the sector with additional resources.
The games budget of the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) has therefore been increased to €2.9 million for this year, thanks to the stimulus funding. The structural budget from next year onwards will be increased from €1.7 million to €2.7 million annually.
Another pillar of the memorandum is the creation of this Gamehub, similar to what is done in other countries such as Finland or the Netherlands. According to Minister Dalle, such a place – which is expected to be set up in the autumn – will give an additional boost to the development of the sector.
More information about the initiative can be found on its website.
