Sir Tom Hunter recently issued a challenge to the country: The Entrepreneurs Manifesto for Scotland. It is a bold, necessary, and unapologetic call for a ‘laser focus’ on scaling businesses, driving productivity, and embracing the AI revolution. Sir Tom asks: “Why doesn’t the Government call on us to help grow the Scottish economy and increase the tax take?”
It is an excellent question. But as I read through the manifesto, I noticed a familiar omission. The word “games” doesn’t appear once. In the inspiring video which accompanied the launch of the manifesto, musicians, artists, inventors, industrialists, authors, actors, sports stars, and entrepreneurs all feature, but apart from a brief clip of GTA (at around 2m 38s), games are missing in action.
This isn’t just a missed opportunity for a single sector; it is a missed opportunity for Scotland’s entire innovation strategy. If Sir Tom is looking for the “secret weapon” that exemplifies every goal in his manifesto, we’d like to invite him to read the Level Up Scotland Games Action Plan.
No New Quangos: Skilling Up, Not Building Up
Sir Tom’s manifesto is clear: Scotland is over-regulated and burdened by a fragmented landscape of agencies and quangos. It calls for a “Digital Front Door” and a consolidation of support.
Our Action Plan agrees. Unlike the traditional approach of building new, expensive, and isolated government bodies, Level Up Scotland is based entirely upon using existing infrastructure. Whether it is leveraging the Techscaler network or working within the existing college and university framework, our plan is about skilling up, not building up. We propose injecting specialised games-industry expertise into the agencies we already have – making them faster, more efficient, and better equipped to handle the ongoing evolution of the global games ecosystem. We don’t want more red tape; we want to give our existing enterprise system the ‘cheat codes’ it needs to understand the global games market.
The Paradox of Plenty: Talent Without a Track
Scotland currently boasts one of the most robust games education pipelines in the world. Our colleges and universities are producing thousands of world-class graduates every year. These are young people who aren’t just “looking for jobs” – they are creating incredible, creative technologies and IP as part of their studies.
And then, the system fails them.
There is currently almost zero expert support for games entrepreneurship or publishing within our national enterprise agencies. We have high-density talent being met with low-density support. These students create potentially world-beating IP, but they are never given exposure to the market, nor the encouragement or funding to turn a student project into a sustainable business. We are effectively leaving our most creative entrepreneurs at the altar of an increasingly competitive global market.
Ethical AI: The “Golden Thread” of Innovation
Sir Tom identifies AI as the “biggest opportunity for our country.” In the games sector, we aren’t just using AI; we are the pioneers. Games technology is the ‘Golden Thread‘ connecting creative IP to healthcare, manufacturing, and education.
Our proposed National Games Innovation Centre (NGIC) is designed to be the physical and digital home for this revolution. But we aren’t just chasing tech for tech’s sake. We are positioning Scotland as the global leader in Ethical Games AI. By enshrining responsible innovation at the heart of our Supercluster, we give Scotland a unique competitive advantage on the world stage – attracting investment from those who want to build the future the right way.
Building Beyond the Pioneers
Scotland has seen the success that comes from building sustainable, world-class companies that grow, hire, and pay significant tax. We know the value of ‘anchor’ studios that put Scotland on the map. But a healthy ecosystem cannot rely on a handful of pioneers alone.
To reach Sir Tom’s goal of doubling scale-ups, we must support the “missing middle” – the indie developers, single creators and small teams currently taking new products to market with zero guidance or dedicated funding. We need case studies of success from every corner of Scotland, demonstrating that high-productivity entrepreneurship (already delivering £151,382 GVA per head) is achievable for anyone with the talent and the drive.
A Call to Action for the Hunter Foundation
Sir Tom, your manifesto says: “Can we do it? Aye we can.” We agree. But we can’t do it by ignoring one of the most creative, technically advanced and productive sectors in the country. Our Action Plan is the ‘Game-Ready’ implementation of your vision – focused on scale, efficiency, and the AI opportunity.
Let’s stop leaving our entrepreneurs at the starting gate. Let’s weave the Golden Thread of games into The Entrepreneurs Manifesto For Scotland.
Sir Tom, you can find, read and download Scotland’s National Games Action Plan here.
I’d love the chance to talk to you about it.
~ Brian