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IGDA calls on US developers to act on Obamacare repeal threat

Game makers share challenges via Waypoint

The International Game Developers Association has encouraged studios to contact their congressional representative over the threat to repeal the Affordable Care Act - AKA Obamacare.

It follows a series of stories on Waypoint, which states that 'over a quarter of all US games industry employees are not provided with health insurance by their employers'. The stories feature multiple indie creators who say they would have to give up their career in the US games industry if the ACA was taken away. The article goes on to suggest that the removal of the ACA will see more power switched to the big publishers who can afford to offer their staff health insurance.

The threat to dismantle Obamacare comes after the vote to elect Donald Trump as the new president of the United States.

IGDA said in a statement: "Given that the Affordable Care Act in the United States faces potential dismantling, and also given that the ACA has been instrumental in enabling many people to purse their creative passion as independent game developers, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) calls upon all US-based IGDA members and professionals in the game development community to contact their congressional representatives and voice your concerns about the availability of viable healthcare options. We believe that universally available healthcare is not only critical for the well-being of individual game developers, but also for the overall creative health of our industry. The IGDA will continue to closely monitor how this issue evolves."

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Christopher Dring avatar

Christopher Dring

Head of Games B2B

Chris is a 17-year media veteran specialising in the business of video games. And, erm, Doctor Who