Revealed: The electronic pastimes Britain’s politicians use to cope with the demands of political life. (Reuters)
Revealed: The electronic pastimes Britain’s politicians use to cope with the demands of political life. (Reuters)

Within the UK parliament's hallowed, ancient walls lies an altogether more light-hearted world populated by dungeons, dragons and a host of other computer-animated characters.

Computer games magnate Ian Livingstone, founder of the UK's Games Workshop retail chain, has revealed some of the favourite computer games loved by Britain's MPs, lifting the lid on a side of politicians' lives rarely seen by the public.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is partial to "chillaxing" with Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds after a busy day running the country, while Education Secretary Michael Gove loves nothing more than to immerse himself in the fantasy world of Dungeons and Dragons.

"Michael likes calculating the probabilities of the polyhedral dice - the probability that your character will come across a monster or break down a door," Livingstone told the Sunday Times.

He also revealed that Culture Minister Ed Vaizey is particularly fond of Clumsy Ninja, which involves training a virtual pet to perform a range of tricks.

"Fruit Ninja and Clumsy Ninja are easy to play and can be enjoyed for a few minutes whilst travelling to or between meetings. They are good light-hearted fun."

The games industry is expected to be worth $90bn by 2015. (Reuters)
The games industry is expected to be worth $90bn by 2015. (Reuters)

Livingstone, who made his fortune from the popular Tomb Raider games, revealed that Chancellor George Osborne prides himself on having learned how to write gaming computer code while he was a pupil at St Paul's School, and highlighted the vast career opportunities the gaming industry offers young graduates.

"It is now the largest entertainment industry in the world," he said. "It's worth more than $50bn (£31bn) and it's going to rise to $90bn by 2015.

"It's a shame we have so many kids unemployed and yet there's such a huge demand for coders and digital makers. If kids could code, they could set up their own outfits working out of their bedrooms."

Livingstone has championed an overhaul of the information and communications technology curriculum in secondary schools so young people can learn how to write computer code.

The entrepreneur now plans to set up a network of free schools where children will have the opportunity to develop key game coding skills.

"Why can't learning be fun?" Livingstone said. "When we are young we learn through play and when we grow up, we still enjoy play."

Top 5 Games Enjoyed by British MPs

1. Candy Crush - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister

2. Fruit Ninja - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister

3. Clumsy Ninja - Ed Vaizey, Culture Minister

4. Dungeons and Dragons - Michael Gove, Education Secretary

5. Call of Duty - Tom Watson, Labour MP