The Scottish Government has given its backing to the creation of a national games strategy, a move which The Scottish Games Network - hosts of Scottish Games Week - has described as "recognising the enormous commercial and transformative potential of games."
This will make Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to have a strategy in place supporting the rapidly evolving games ecosystem within the region.
With the support of the national TechScaler network and CodeBase, the goal of the strategy will be to create a more successful games ecosystem in Scotland and ensure that the country can support the sector more effectively as it continues to grow and evolve.
The games marketcontributes over £188.5 Million to the Scottish economy annually, making games as significant an earner as fintech, data, cybersecurity and space.
"In addition to the enormous commercial impact of the games market, the transformative potential of tools, technologies and techniques from the games ecosystem are having a significant impact in sectors such as film and TV, healthcare, manufacturing, immersive technologies and the rise of the metaverse," say The Scottish Games Network.
Be part of the program
The SGN will also play a significant part in the creation of the action plan in order to provide tangible, actionable recommendations to increase knowledge of and support for games. The organisation aims to reach out to and welcome involvement from all participants, across industry, education, the public sector and beyond to gather evidence and ensure the strategy is informed by and supports the whole games ecosystem.
The SGN will shortly be releasing dates for a series of workshops across Scotland and online so that game makers within Scotland can find out more and get invoved.
Brian Baglow, the director of the Scottish Games Network, said: “The games sector is Scotland’s secret weapon. We have far more to offer Scotland’s economy and future as a digital society than anyone realises. However, we do not yet have the same recognition as other areas such as data, fintech, or film.
"The creation of a national strategy will enable us to increase the understanding of the enormous potential of games, increase the support for the ecosystem as a whole and position Scotland as a pioneer in this incredible industry.”
Shona Robison, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, said: “Scotland has a rich heritage in producing pioneering games and the industry is filled with talent, innovation and creativity. I saw this first-hand when I joined representatives of the sector for a roundtable discussion last November.
"The Scottish Government recognises the contribution that the sector already makes and the potential it has to contribute further social, cultural and economic benefits. That is why I have backed the industry to create a National Action Plan for Games in Scotland that boosts and accelerates growth and job creation, as well as amplifying the global reputation of one of Scotland’s most promising and diverse sectors.”
Yasmin Sulaiman, VP of Partnerships at Codebase, said: “The Scottish Games Network has played a huge role in celebrating and supporting the games community in Scotland, and we’re excited to collaborate with Brian in the development of this new national games strategy.
"Through major initiatives like the Scottish Government’s Techscaler platform, CodeBase exists to build better startup ecosystems, and in Scotland, the games community is an integral part of that mission.”
Daniel Wood, Acting CO-CEO of Ukie, said: “We applaud the Scottish Government's decision to create a national games strategy, recognising the pivotal role of video games in driving economic growth and innovation. Ukie is looking forward to helping lead this work, improving the recognition of the games industry in Scotland and increasing the support provided to Scottish games businesses.”
If you'd like to register your interest in the workshops for Scotland’s games strategy you can contact them here.
