A number of applications have been made by gaming companies for certification to allow them to claim the credit and a number of certificates have been issued.
"The development of a digital game can be a multi-year process, therefore some claims may not come in until a project is complete. Paul Mee, a partner with financial consultants Mazars said the tax break needs to be revisited to incentivise companies to get involved. "Moreover, the current legislation also requires games to make it to market before relief can be claimed. However, only 10% of games being developed make it to market. Other countries have removed this term from legislation to reflect realities on the ground," he added.It is estimated that Ireland's digital gaming sector could be worth around €250 million, but games developed in Ireland account for a small portion of this figure.
"If you can imagine that the size of the games industry is bigger than the movie and music industries combined it will give you a sense of what is possible. Game studio Black Shamrock has a stand at the convention and will be telling visitors about a scholarship programme that it runs in partnership with Ballyfermot College of Further Education to support study in game design and development.