Rare Games moving to Digbeth – are we ready for our new guests?
Written by Nicky Getgood on Monday, November 30th, 2009 ( 6 responses )
Tags: andy munro, anna blackaby, Birmingham Post, dave harte, digbeth study, Fazeley Studios, microsoft, rare games
So all of Birmingham’s buzzing with the news that Microsoft subsidiary Rare Games are set to move into the remaining vacant Fazeley Studios. Martin Mullaney thinks it’s ‘awesome’. The Birmingham Post have visually interpreted the big news in an interesting way – a massive, Microsoft bat-signal emanating from Digbeth. I’m liking this. I’m liking this so much I want it to be first of my three wishes to Andy Munro, in response to the the genie-style last question of his Digbeth Study:
- What are the top three things you feel should be done for Digbeth?
My second wish is for many local loud-speakers to play the Intel sound logo to accompany the Microsoft bat-signal. Both can go off whenever one of the many Digbeth websites gets updated. It could be a bit like Twitter blog updates for those not on Twitter. Or something. My third and final wish is for the following not to happen:
For some reason I imagine these Rare Games people to be big-shot Yanks. I’m sure they’re not, but it placed a picture in my head – I’m walking through the Fazeley Studios corridors and meet a dashing American, who flashes me a bright-white smile. He says Hey There and tells me he’s new in town, and asks if I can help. I say Of Course (anything for you). Then he asks, Where’s the nearest cashpoint, decent parking, supermarket, mobile phone signal? I look uncomfortably on whilst realisation dawns – he has traded in his land of milk and honey for a place with None Of The Above.
According to Dave Harte, the best way to prevent this is to take Anna Blackaby’s advice of developing a Digbeth Business Improvement District (BID). I honestly don’t know if this is the answer, I just know I don’t want to disappoint the dashing American. Can you fix that for me Andy Munro? Pretty please?
Comments:
on November 30th, 2009
I reckon they’re more likely to ask where all the giraffes are – Rare currently live over at Twycross in Leicestershire, near the zoo. Maybe even at the zoo, that’d be cool.
on November 30th, 2009
Giraffes in Digbeth? Brilliant!
Okay, strike my third wish for amenities, I want the Microsoft Bat-Signal, Loudspeakers for the Intel sound logo and giraffes roaming the Digbeth streets.
on November 30th, 2009
What impact in “teh real world” do BID’s have?
Which areas of the city already have BID’s? As a ‘normal’ person who works in the city I’m not really aware of anything beyond the BID for Broad Street. (Just had to mentally revise my image in my head of myself as someone who lives & works in Birmingham to being someone who just works in Birmingham)
What impact do the BIDs have?
(I refer again to the comment above about the Broad Street BID- I know they sort of look after the Walk of Stars, but doesn’t Caz Ashton control who gets on it or something?)
So no real help with your giraffes, cashpoints, bat signal, parking, shops or loudspeakers. Just some more questions.
on November 30th, 2009
I think it’s a little bit of a buck passing exercise to suggest that “business” must create what are now really essential amenities? Isn’t it council responsibility to provide basic services?
Rare have sort of evolved from (nostalgia time) Ultimate — an Ashby based spectrum games company — so they’ll probably be happy with paved roads ;)
on November 30th, 2009
[...] staying put, rep confirms | Game Development | News by Develop – Hmmm….after my worrying about giving them a proper welcome, it seems Rare may not be moving to Digbeth en masse after all. [...]
on November 30th, 2009
There are plenty of BIDs in Brum: Retail Birmingham, Colmore Row area has one, Kings Heath and Erdington both have one and there’s a proposed one for south of the city centre (jeez – am I the only who does any research around here?). They operate as effective lobbying tools for business giving them more say about how the area develops. All the tweeting in the world won’t get you a cashpoint but a BID could be a mechanism though which the council listens to Digbeth businesses and they in turn get some money (admittedly their own) to play with.
Of course it’s a form of buck-passing but the buck is passed, has been for a while now. It won’t be going back the other way any time soon.
As public services get cut over the next few years, requests for infrastructure improvements such as the ones needed in Digbeth will start to get pushed off the City’s agenda. Having a BID might help keep them on the agenda.
Kent Davis as chair, John Tigue as vice-chair – a Digbeth BID would be the coolest show in town.
What is your opinion?