Scotland's Games Ecosystem Cluster
On Thursday evening, I will be taking a seat at the high table of the national political debate. I have been invited to join the National Conversations Tech and AI Hustings, providing a critical opportunity to ensure the games sector is visible at a policy level. The event, which brings together representatives from Scotland’s major …
Continue reading "Putting Games at the Heart of the National Tech Debate"
This week's announcement of a £30 million Games Growth Package by the UK Government marks a significant moment of recognition for the interactive sector. With the doubling of the UK Games Fund (UKGF) to £28.5 million and the introduction of grants up to £250,000, Westminster has finally acknowledged the importance (and potential) of the £8.8 …
Continue reading "What The New UK Government’s £30M Games Funding Means For Scotland"
The growing support for the future of Scotland’s games ecosystem has moved beyond the creative industries. In a significant move for the sector, the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) and The Data Lab have formally aligned with the Level Up Scotland Games Action Plan, highlighting its potential to transform the nation’s digital future. …
Continue reading "The Golden Thread: Digital Health and Data Leaders Back Games Action Plan"
The momentum following the recent Parliamentary debate on Scotland’s games sector is translating into action. The next meeting of the Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Scotland’s Games Ecosystem will take place on March 18th, from 18:00 - 20:00. Interest from across the industry and academia has already been exceptionally high. With the committee room in the …
Continue reading "Scotland’s Games Cross-Party Group – Last Meeting Before 2026 Elections"
The political momentum behind the future of the Scottish games ecosystem has reached an all-time high. Following the publication of the Games Action Plan, the subsequent debate in the Scottish Parliament and the launch of the IES manifesto, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have now formally adopted Level Up: Scotland's Games Action Plan into their official …
Continue reading "Political Consensus: Scottish Liberal Democrats Adopt Games Action Plan Pillars"
IES Manifesto Launch: The conversation around the future of the Scottish games sector has reached a new level of agreement and consensus. Following the historic debate in the Scottish Parliament and the Business & Employment Minister's commitment to a "line-by-line" review of our Level Up: Scotland's Games Action Plan, we are pleased to see Interactive …
Level Up: If you missed the live stream of the Scottish Parliament yesterday, you missed a significant turning point in the ongoing evolution of our industry - with a ministerial commitment to review the action plan "line-by-line" at a future meeting of the cross-party group for Scotland's games ecosystem. Building on the foundations laid by …
Continue reading "WATCH: Momentum Builds at Holyrood for Scotland’s Games Future"
UPDATE: Time of debate moved back to 18:30. The parliamentary debate on Level Up: Scotland's Games Action Plan will take place around 18:30 tomorrow afternoon - Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026. Tickets are already sold out to attend the session in-person, but you can watch live and online using the Scottish Parliament TV streaming service. I'll …
Continue reading "Live Debate: Scotland’s Games Action Plan @ Holyrood: 18:30, Feb 3rd 2026."
I am incredibly proud to announce that following our launch events in Edinburgh and Dundee - and a week of unprecedented national media coverage - the Scottish Parliament has officially scheduled a debate on the Level Up: Scotland's Games Action Plan. On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 3rd, MSPs from across the political spectrum will …
Continue reading "From Paper to Parliament: National Games Debate Confirmed for Tuesday, Feb 3rd"
If I’m honest, I’m still trying to process the last week... After two years of trying to deliver Scotland's Games Action Plan - running workshops, pulling together over a thousand data points, separating the practical and achievable from the aspirational, and finding ways to work with the country's existing infrastructure - we finally handed Level …
Continue reading "The World is Watching: Let’s Level Up Scotland"