As Scotland and Indonesia come together today for the Scotnesia 2025 Game Exchange, the conversation is about more than just building business connections. It is about a shared, global understanding of the transformative power of the games industry and the vital role of strategic government support in unlocking its potential.
In early 2024, the Indonesian government enacted Presidential Regulation No. 19 of 2024, a comprehensive national strategy to accelerate the growth of its domestic games industry. In analysing this forward-thinking policy, the parallels with the pillars of the Scottish Games Action Plan currently in development are not just striking; they are a powerful international validation of our own strategic direction.
The Indonesian plan, like our own, is built on the understanding that a thriving games ecosystem requires a holistic, government-backed approach. It proves that the challenges and opportunities we have identified in Scotland are part of a global consensus.
Key Areas of Commonality:
- Formal Recognition & Strategic Direction: Indonesia has established a high-level government task force to provide direction and legal certainty for its games sector. This mirrors the Action Plan’s primary recommendation for formal recognition and a cross-portfolio approach within the Scottish Government to guide the industry’s growth.
- Funding & Investment: The Indonesian strategy explicitly focuses on opening access to finance, including venture capital and matching funds. This directly aligns with the Action Plan’s call for a dedicated funding model to de-risk investment and support new studio creation (and scaling) in Scotland.
- Skills & Talent: Both plans identify the lifelong development of skills as a critical pillar, focusing on training, scholarships, and strengthening the links between education and industry to build a sustainable talent pipeline.
- Infrastructure & Cluster Support: Indonesia’s plan includes the creation of “development centres for technology and game acceleration.” This resonates powerfully with the Action Plan’s proposal for a National Games Innovation Centre to act as a central hub for collaboration and R&D.
This alignment is a clear signal that the path Scotland is on is the right one. It shows that our ambition to become a world-leading games ‘supercluster’ is based on sound, internationally recognised principles.
His excellency, the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia for the UK, Ireland and IMO, HE, Dr Desra Percaya, told the Scottish Games Network:
“The collaboration between Indonesia and the UK would open a door for greater and wider collaboration across the gaming ecosystem. Specifically, in creating job opportunities for young people in the digital and creative sector.”
The Scotnesia 2025 Game Exchange is more than a meeting; it’s a reflection of a shared ambition. As we continue to build and refine the Scottish Games Action Plan, we can be confident that we are not working in isolation. We are part of a global movement of forward-thinking nations that recognise the immense economic, cultural, and technological value of a thriving games ecosystem.