Scottish Liberal Democrats have backed calls for a major expansion of Scotland’s video games sector, warning that without stronger support the industry risks falling behind international competitors.
At their spring conference, party members passed a motion calling for a national strategy to strengthen the gaming and digital media industries, including the creation of low cost office hubs and a new Games Innovation Centre to support start ups and skills development.
The video games sector currently contributes £188.4 million annually to the Scottish economy and supports more than 2,180 full time jobs.
Despite that contribution, the industry has faced mounting pressures in recent years, including the loss of key funding streams following Brexit and a series of studio closures and job losses.
High profile setbacks have included the closure of Axis Studios in Glasgow and large scale redundancies at Build a Rocket Boy in Edinburgh.
The motion calls on the Scottish Government to establish regional hubs across Scotland providing affordable office space for digital media and video games businesses, replacing short term rent a desk models with more sustainable infrastructure.
It also proposes the creation of a Games Innovation Centre to act as a national hub for research, development and expertise sharing, alongside a pilot fund aimed at targeted growth for newer studios.
Access to public funding would be tied to fair work standards, with companies required to adhere to principles such as Fair Work First to tackle exploitative practices including so called crunch culture.
Further proposals include developing a new education strategy to strengthen university courses in gaming and digital media, with greater industry engagement and guaranteed placements, as well as exploring business rates exemptions for start ups during their initial product release period.
The motion was proposed by Neil Alexander, a game designer with more than eight years’ experience in the sector and the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Inverness and Nairn at May’s election.
Mr Alexander said:
“Despite making a massive contribution to Scotland’s economy and culture, the video games sector here is much more fragile and less coordinated compared to other European nations.
“It’s deeply frustrating that the government have failed to crack down on well-documented exploitative practices, particularly the ‘crunch culture’ that exists within the industry.
“To reach its full potential in Scotland, the gaming sector needs to be supported to grow nationwide, creating opportunities for new start-ups and long-term economic development.
“This motion represents an important first step in addressing current challenges.
“Scotland cannot be complacent and rely on past successes; we’ve got to keep putting in the work to ensure this industry thrives for years to come.
“From setting up low-cost office spaces to implementing fairer working conditions and cultivating the right skills in every corner of the country, I want to see the gaming industry finally getting the major boost it needs to turbocharge Scotland’s economy.”
