🇬🇧 Royal Mail’s first stamp issue of 2020 will be released on 21 January in the form of a colourful set depicting British video games of the 1980s and 1990s. The issue is made up of 8 stamps, 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps, a Collectors Sheet containing 10 stamps with attached labels and a counter booklet containing 4 x 1st Machin Head definitives and 2 of the stamps from the miniature sheet. It is a lightweight set but rather interesting at the same time showing as it does the rather primitive graphics of the early video games. The miniature sheet is devoted to the depiction of the Tomb Raider games and the character of Lara Croft. The issue was designed by Supple Studio and Bitmap Books and lithographed by International Security Printers and perforated 14. Rating:- ***.
The news that Royal Mail’s first stamp issue of the year will be on the subject of ‘video games’ should not really come as such a great surprise as this medium of entertainment is an important feature of modern British culture especially among the young. Indeed the UK game industry contributed $3.9 billion in GVA (gross value added which measures the contribution made to an economy by one individual producer, industry, sector or region) to the British economy in 2016. In 2018 games accounted for more than half of the entire UK entertainment market (51.3%) outselling video and music combined for the first time.
In 2016 when collectors were waiting to have revealed to them what exactly was to be featured on a set of stamps which preannouncement were codenamed Project Atlas I suggested that the issue would be on the subject of computer games (Blog 771) only to be proven miserably wrong when the set was revealed to be on the subject of, of all things, the Mr Men (with the choice of codename remaining unexplained). It seems perfectly reasonable for Royal Mail to commemorate this burgeoning British industry though I can’t see the issue appealing to young people (who generally don’t collect stamps) or older people (who generally don’t play video games) or, frankly, anyone in between.
For Machin collectors, the booklet is the first with a code of M20L
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ian.
ReplyDelete"It seems perfectly reasonable for Royal Mail to commemorate this burgeoning British industry though I can’t see the issue appealing to young people (who generally don’t collect stamps) or older people (who generally don’t play video games) or, frankly, anyone in between."
ReplyDeleteActually stamp collecting GenXers like myself will likey find this issue quite nice as it clicks two of our favourite hobbies, gaming and philately.
Although not be a larger number demographically compared to Millenials and Boomers, GenX does exist :D
Hello Gene, well, there you are, some people DO enjoy both pastimes! To be honest, I find all these terms applied to different generations to be hopelessly confusing and couldn’t begin to tell you the difference between Generation X, Millenials and Snowflakes (though I suspect that the latter may be a derogatory term applied to a certain age group rather than a specific age group itself). Generally however young people don’t seem interested in stamp collecting and if you go to a British stamp exhibition you do not see many young people there and you do not see very many older people sitting around playing video games. And ne’er the twain
ReplyDeleteshall meet.
Happy new year, WK.
I must say I do like this issue! As a genXer, it does give me a bit of a shock - my childhood are now worthy of stamps and seen as being part of ‘history’! I loved all those games so much as a child and I loved (and still do) philately so this is a nice issue.
ReplyDeleteShame about the tomb raider overload though, not sure that was necessary (other than money).
Also, I should just say I love this blog, it’s part of my weekly news catch ups so thanks for putting it together!
Hello again PC. Thank you for the kind comments.
ReplyDeleteI like British stamps which tell the world about Britain. And I like stamps which tell the history of Britain whether it’s already happened, is in the making or is yet to be made. We make history just by being here and breathing.
Best wishes, WK.