The BFI and Arts Council England are commissioning research on video games to assess the case for “public intervention”.

The study will consider “not only the economic case for additional support for video games, but also the case for video games to receive funding as an art form or significant cultural form in themselves.”

This may certainly be a good thing in itself. But it casts doubt on the claim by outgoing Chief Executive of ACE, Alan Davey, that they are “committed to supporting animation” if they are now considering putting money into games when they’ve shelved their commitment to develop a policy for animation (…a significant cultural form…in itself…!).