Scotland’s Games Strategy Data 001 – What Are Games, Where Do We Fit?

It may seem strange to kick off the creation of a national strategy for games with a question as simple as ‘What are games – where do we fit?” but these are fundamental and critical to making sure games are recognised, understood and supported more effectively moving forward.

Before we dive into the data around these questions, you can see the whole data set here – or you can see all of the individual responses and post-its in the gallery below:

Why Ask ‘What Are Games?’

This question is critical because – as it stands – in Scotland videogames are currently categorised as one of 16 sub-sectors of the ‘creative industries’ – along with industries including crafts, heritage, performing arts, architecture and literature (you can see the full list here).

This means that while games are clearly part of the wider ‘tech’ ecosystem, we’re not officially part of that world in the same way that sectors such as fintech, data, cyber, or AI are. That matters because there is a lot of support going into ‘tech’ across Scotland (and the wider UK) right now, but little, if any of it is tailored towards, or recognises videogames.

In the rest of the UK, games are part of the ‘screen industries’, alongside film, television, animation, ‘immersive technologies’ & VFX (hence BFI and BAFTA supporting and working closely with the games ecosystem). In Scotland, games are not defined as part of ‘screen’. That definition means that Screen Scotland, the national agency which provides support and infrastructure for the screen sector excludes games (please note that none of this is criticism of the organisation, or the people at Screen Scotland or Creative Scotland, who have actively supported the sector and creation of the national strategy).

Tech / Culture / Both / Other?

From the data gathered in the Figma board across the workshops, you can see a broad range of opinions about how games should be defined and where games can and should fit within the context of Scotland.

There were several key discussions across common topics:

Defining ‘Games’

• The term ‘games’ encompasses a wide range of experiences from ‘videogames’, to ‘board games’ (which can incorporate mixed reality/multimedia), esports (which is separate from the design, development and production of videogames) and there is an increasingly blurred line around ‘gambling’ games thanks to genres like ‘social casino’ and the use of revenue streams such as loot boxes.
• There are cases to be made to categorise games within the ‘tech’, ‘screen’ and ‘creative industries, mostly to access existing support and infrastructure.
• The transformative potential of games-related technologies and ‘applied games’ are so large that this precludes easy inclusion within the existing categories.
• ‘Games’ (the design, development and production of videogames) and ‘esports’ (the playing of games competitively or professionally) are often conflated, with no real appreciation of the different skills required, career outcomes or intellectual property potential.
• The games ‘industry’ is the heart of a much larger ‘ecosystem’ which includes the education pipeline and all of the ways in which games are being ‘applied’ (or ‘spillover‘ as UKIE puts it).

Games Are A Unique Practice

• Viewing games as a practice rather than just an output or ‘content type’ is more practical due to the diverse applications and uses beyond ‘mere’ entertainment.
• The industry offers opportunities and challenges distinct from the tech and film sectors, with unique financial and investment requirements.
• The games ecosystem is evolving ever more rapidly, opening up new applications and opportunities beyond the enormous consumer market and becoming a ‘transformational technology’.

Games In Education And Culture

• Game design, development and production offer skillsets applicable across a wide range of other sectors, serving as gateways to diverse career paths.
• Game design and development skills are excellent engagement tools for children and young people, but are not yet being recognised as having value in the education system.
• In Scotland (and more widely) games are isolated as a specific type of experience, used only for entertainment, rather than seen as having any real cultural value outside the enormous consumer market.
• The tools, technologies and techniques from the games ecosystem are already having profound impacts on the wider creative, cultural and heritage sectors, but this is currently unrecognised and poorly supported.

Games As A Driver For Innovation

• Games are a driver for innovation across multiple industries (education, healthcare/medicine, travel/tourism, energy, manufacturing, etc.). Scotland has a unique potential for bringing together stakeholders, removing boundaries and exploring new collaborative ideas
• The games ecosystem is starting from a ‘blank page’ in terms of recognition and support across Scotland.
• The increasing use of games tools and technologies provides a focal point for community building and connection across multiple sectors.

Games As A Form Of Expression

• Games are far more than ‘digital toys’ for children. They offer an enormous range of engaging experiences which can incorporate learning, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and community building, as well as providing space for emotional engagement with others.
• Games can be an art form: a medium for storytelling and self-expression, pushing the boundaries of imagination and exploration. This can be true in both commercial and non-commercial releases.
• Games are ubiquitous. Games are now everywhere and being played by a larger and more diverse audience than ever before for many reasons beyond ‘play’.

Outcomes

Based upon the key challenges facing the sector and the input from the workshops, we plan to make several recommendations in the Action Plan:

1. Create definitions of basic terms – games, developer, publisher, esports, applied games, etc. This will provide a single reference point for all stakeholders in government, public sector and beyond.
2. Adopt a cross-portfolio approach to games, which will give multiple Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers responsibility for different aspects of the games ecosystem, from business and innnovation to education and culture. This would address the compartmentalisation of games and stop them being siloed within a single directorate.
3. Identify – and where necessary create ‘games champions‘ within all of the relevant directorates and public sector organisations, to ensure internal knowledge of the rapidly evolving games ecosystem can be built, communicated and retained.

We will be sharing the other data sets and the proposed outcomes from each of them over the next several days. Got questions, comments, or have something to say? Get in touch.

~ Brian

Photo by Kvalifik on Unsplash