Scotland should embrace its pioneering games industry in the same way it treats the tech ecosystem, according to Scottish Games Week Director Brian Baglow.

On the back of Scottish Games Week, the first-of-its-kind celebration of the booming Scottish games industry, Brian says there is great potential to forge closer ties between the two burgeoning sectors.

The inaugural event series saw six major events held in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee, as well as an additional seven satellite events hosted at various locations across Scotland.

From design, development and publishing to education and application, the series showcased games and their role as a key sector for Scotland’s growing digital and creative economies – as well as the country’s future as a more inclusive digital society.

Driving collaboration with the Scottish tech industry

Notably, Scottish Games Week began with the More Than Games conference at the Barclays Eagle Labs in Glasgow.

With 25 speakers, chairs and panellists, the event sought to explore how the Scottish games industry is fostering closer ties with the country’s broader technology ecosystem and showcase the potential for greater collaboration between the two.

More Than Games featured talks exploring the future of accessibility in the metaverse, as well as insights on how games can be harnessed to improve outcomes in the healthcare and education sectors.

Speaking to DIGIT, Scottish Games Week Director Brian Baglow says the event offered a unique insight into how the Scottish games and tech industries can draw upon each other’s strengths, drive innovation and deliver success.

“We need to foster, encourage and support far greater links between the games ecosystem and the wider tech community,” he says.

“Games creators tend not to go to non-games events, while ‘tech’ events, rarely (if ever) feature speakers from the games community. That needs to change.

“We need to ensure that all of the work being undertaken in Scotland – from the new tech scaler network to reimagining education – includes games, as we have a huge amount to offer.”

Fundamentally, Brian believes that the event was an opportunity to show that there is more to the gaming industry than just eye-catching titles and blockbuster franchises.

Increasingly, games studios are pioneering the use of data to enhance user experiences, observe player behaviours and drive monetisation. This makes it a sector which offers huge cross-functional value and can support other industry verticals.

“Once you look beyond the idea that games are experiences that happen on Xboxes, or consist solely of enormous franchises, you find that the tools, technology and techniques from the games sector are transforming an enormous number of other areas,” he said.

In the film industry, Brian notes, the use of ‘virtual production’ is heavily reliant on major game engines such as Unreal and Unity – both of which now have locations in Scotland.

Similarly, as delegates at the More Than Games event learned, games are being harnessed to support the education sector and play a key role in improving financial literacy for young people.

Recommended

• Winners announced at 2022 Scottish Cyber Awards
• Smart meter AI tech is helping to tackle the cost-of-living crisis – here’s how
• New broadband project to boost connectivity in the Scottish Highlands

For example, Island Saver, a game created by Dundee-based Stormcloud Games, was developed alongside NatWest to support the bank’s Money Sense programme.

Aimed at children aged between six and 13 years old, Island Saver teaches basic financial skills, guiding players on how to save money or open a bank account, and offers insights on taxation and the dangers of loansharking.

The game has been downloaded more than four million times, which Brian says underlines the huge potential that games offer to other industries.

Challenging the status quo

In 2022, the global games market generated around $202 billion in revenue, and more than 3.5 billion people around the world now play games across various formats. This represents a highly lucrative industry which Scotland can tap into moving forward.

But to fully maximise the potential of the Scottish games industry, Brian insists that perceptions of the sector and its value to the Scottish economy must change.

Scotland is investing heavily in the technology sector across a range of areas, spanning big data, artificial intelligence, fintech and cybersecurity. But, as Brian points out, all of these are being impacted by innovation pouring out of the games industry.

Simply put, Scotland needs to support the games industry in the same way it values its tech ecosystem.

“As a country, we need to recognise games as a key digital sector and create a national aspiration in the same way we have for fintech or data. That would enable us to work with government and the public sector to bring all of the experience, expertise and pioneering work from games into our goals as a digital society,” he explains.

“If we can achieve that, we can take Scotland from the fourth largest games cluster in the UK, to one of the top four in the world.”

Get the latest news from DIGIT direct to your inbox

Our newsletter covers the latest technology and IT news from Scotland and beyond, as well as in-depth features and exclusive interviews with leading figures and rising stars.

To subscribe, click here.