New York City's Center For an Urban Future released an in-depth report on the state of the city's game industry, with the aim of encouraging city government to become more involved. Given the overall health of the industry, NYC joins a number of cities around the world looking for ways to attract game development; recently, we reported on a 20 percent tax credit granted to developers who create their projects there.
The report found that the city has more incentive to focus on the game industry than it's been given credit for:
According to local industry experts, the number of game development companies in New York City could be counted on one hand as recently as five years ago. But today, the city is home to more than 30 game development companies and another 55 firms involved in some aspect of games, from sound effects to distribution. Only a handful of other cities in North America have as many gaming firms.
The report recommends a number of strategies for the city's administration to bolster New York City's role in the industry, to create jobs and support economic health, and to develop "a framework for supporting the video game sector," including government liaisons, encouragement for trade shows, and expansion of city university programs for game development.
The report doesn't go as far as to encourage the Georgia-style tax breaks, however, which might at a further stage be a reasonable recommendation for the city with one of the highest costs of living in America.
Getting in the Game [New York City Center for an Urban Future] (Thanks, Mike!)