SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

Video games industry has its own "Dragon's Den"

Jez San is one of the veterans who made the British video game industry. An assembly language programmer for several different processors, his first major game hit was Starglider in 1986, many others followed. He is also a chip designer, book author, online gambling expert and highly successful businessman. In 2002 he was awarded the OBE. He is also a life member of BAFTA.

With a fortune made from Argonaut and principally from chip designer ARC he is now a business angel investing in a wide range of companies across the games industry. CodePlay, PKR, Origin8, Ninja Theory, MyDeco, Anthropics and The Chilli all have San as an investor.

In an exclusive interview for game industry blog Bruceongames

San days that game industry entrepreneurs looking for an angel should get in touch with him: "I'm always happy to hear from bright people with passion and a good idea. Preferably they need to have it all figured out, including a business plan.. before they will get much out of me. I am looking for new investments. But I value innovation and a sound business model above most other things. Experience counts too. I've got cash.. and I'm not planning to spend it in any way except very wisely. I will consider investing in new concepts and new ideas with good people. But always in things I understand."

In a wide ranging interview San also explains what the game industry should be learning from online gambling, discusses the rise of the application store, the structural problems at Argonaut and the future of gaming in the internet cloud, amongst much else.