Lousiana Attempting to Attract Game Industry

[Deathcricket]

Very interesting read but not sure it will work. A tax break is nice but how big a factor is it really in the game industry?

I live in southern Cali and can tell you the cost of living here is extremely high. I'm sure someone can post some statistical data where it stands, but lets just say its obscene! I would guess top 10 but again dont have any data to back it up. Lets just say my wife and I were looking to buy a cheap 1400 sq foot condo for 440k. Yes, almost half a million for a 3 bedroom with a yard barely big enough for sunbathing.

Yet the gaming companies are more popular here than anywhere else? This leads me to believe that money is not a big factor in the equation. If I had to quess, I would say environment (sunshine), wealth (disposable income for startups), and nearby schools contribute most. Maybe even tech saavy environment? Now i don't know about schools, but LA can't compete in those other factors.

I would qualify that statement though by saying that if a game company were to start in LA, I think they would have little trouble filling their positions. Artists are starving for jobs and would probably move anywhere with little fuss. So I guess on that note it might turn out to be a good thing. I just get the feeling these companies will be a small startups with a mediocre or poor product and fall flat on their face. And do the high end animators at Blizzard and Rockstar really have trouble getting a job once their name pops up on the credits of a hit game? "Oh you worked on the opening sequence of WOW? You're hired!" God knows for every one good game I purchase, there are 10 that I would demand a refund for given the chance.

In that way, the market is perhaps a bit saturated with crap titles. Unlike the movies where you can pretty much tell by a preview if you're going to like it or not, I assume a game is bad until I play a demo or have a trusted friend inform me. Besides Alexander, I rarely want a refund after watching a movie :)

I would be interested to see a followup a year from now and progress made. Good news none the less!

-Deathcricket-

[slaughters]

Not sure about other parts of the place, but New Orleans seems to have a pretty good cost of living. Housing, food, and entertainment are cheap and plentiful.

This will probably work out to be a pretty good deal for them.

P.S. Money is *always* a factor. :)

[Dirtystimpy]

Didn't Arizona try to do the same when they had Fox animation in phoenix?

People thought being only 6 hours away from LA and cheap cost of living would attract some studios, but never did.

[meatpuppet]

i left louisiana (n.o. + b.r.) to get into the visual effects industry. there is absolutly nothing there as far as high-end cg goes.

frankly, i can't see them pulling this off. it's one thing to attract a few productions there with cheap filmmaking but establishing a game studio there? i dunno. i'd bet that louisiana politics would screw it up one way or another.

i can say, though, that the cost of living is crazy cheap. a friend recently bought a nice three-bedroom house with a huge yard for... i think it was like $50,000 or something. my rent was dirt cheap as was all my bills (except a/c in the summer!)

i wish them luck,

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