The Scottish government has expressed its support for a “national games strategy” aimed at fostering the growth of the gaming industry in the country.
Collaborating with the Scottish Games Network, Techscaler (a network dedicated to kickstarting and scaling Scottish startups), and the tech incubator CodeBase, the government envisions the program to “establish a more prosperous games ecosystem in Scotland and enhance the country’s ability to effectively support the sector’s continued growth and evolution.”
Although specific details about the strategy remain limited, it has been indicated that the Scottish Games Network will take the lead in formulating the action plan. The network is expected to provide “tangible, actionable recommendations to increase knowledge and support for games,” involving stakeholders from the industry, education, and the public sector.
The announcement also mentioned that a series of workshops will be unveiled at a later date, to be conducted across the country. It was highlighted that games contribute over £188 million to the Scottish economy annually.
Daniel Wood, the Acting co-CEO of UKIE, expressed the trade body’s anticipation to “help lead this work,” although the extent of its involvement is currently unclear. Brian Baglow, the Director of the Scottish Games Network, emphasized the significance of the games sector in Scotland, referring to it as the country’s “secret weapon” with untapped potential.
He stressed that the creation of a national strategy will contribute to increasing understanding and support and positioning Scotland as a pioneer in the gaming industry.
Notably, the Scottish Games Network had previously secured a grant in 2020 to map Scotland’s games industry and is behind the organization of the Scottish Games Week, which debuted in 2022.
