On the third February 2026 the Scottish Parliament hosted the Members’ Business debate “Level Up Scotland: A National Action Plan for the Scottish Games Sector”.
Proposed via motion S6M-20521 from Michael Marra MSP, the talks explored the report published by the Scottish Games Network in January 2026.
The report is a community-led blueprint to elevate Scotland’s highly productive games industry—already generating £151,382 GVA per employee—into the UK’s first “games supercluster” and a £1 billion economic powerhouse by 2030.
Through five interdependent recommendations, including appointing a Chief Games Officer, launching a pilot IP fund, creating skills and education forums, providing business mentorship, and establishing a national innovation centre, the phased plan seeks to foster talent retention, innovation spillovers, new studios, and original IPs while aligning with government strategies for sustainable growth.
The debate, held in the evening (around 6-7pm), welcomed the plan’s launch and discussed its potential to transform Scotland’s video games industry—already a high-productivity sector (with £151,382 GVA per employee, double the national average)—into a £1 billion GVA economic powerhouse by 2030, positioning Scotland as the UK’s first “games supercluster” and a global leader in creative technology (“createch”).
The plan’s five core recommendations (implemented via a proposed two-year pilot phase) include:
- Strategic leadership and alignment (e.g., appointing an interim Chief Games Officer or similar for co-ordination across government portfolios).
- A pilot fund to support new intellectual property (IP) development, leveraging private investment.
- A national games and skills education forum to identify gaps and connect education stages to industry needs.
- A dedicated business support and mentorship service for studios (new and growing).
- A national games innovation centre for long-term ecosystem growth.
Speakers from across parties expressed strong cross-party support, praising the sector’s economic contributions (e.g., exports, high-skilled jobs, innovation spillovers into healthcare, AI, film, education, and more), Scotland’s historical role (birthplace of titles like Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft, and Lemmings via Dundee studios like Rockstar North/DMA Design), and regional strengths (Dundee as the “games capital,” clusters in Edinburgh/Glasgow, and emerging activity in the north-east).
Parliamentary Insights
There was consensus on the need for government leadership, investment in skills/talent pipelines, and recognition of games as a national priority rather than a niche sector.
Key talks and contributions:
- Michael Marra MSP (Labour, North East Scotland, debate proposer): Opened by crediting the Scottish Games Network (and Brian Baglow) and the Cross-Party Group on the Scottish Games Ecosystem (co-convened with Clare Adamson). He detailed the plan’s ambitious yet practical recommendations, highlighted Dundee’s legacy and projects like Abertay University’s InGAME (£84.7m GVA over 10 years, 175 jobs supported), and urged government engagement on skills, investment, and innovation. He raised concerns about precarious work, layoffs, and anti-union practices, calling for stronger worker rights and protections.
- Clare Adamson MSP (SNP, Motherwell and Wishaw): Thanked contributors and described the plan as a “dynamic roadmap” for a creative, globally recognised sector. She emphasised talent nurturing, education uses (e.g., Minecraft in learning), and cross-sector applications like gamification in healthcare (citing VR for treating complex regional pain syndrome/CRPS) and film/AI. She highlighted successes like The Baby in Yellow as Scotland’s potential “Angry Birds.”
- Maurice Golden MSP (Conservative, North East Scotland): Welcomed the evidence-led plan, praised high productivity and exports, and called for government to treat games as a national priority with leadership, co-ordination, investment, skills support, and promotion of hubs like Dundee and Abertay University.
- Daniel Johnson MSP (Labour, Edinburgh Southern): Shared personal gaming history and argued games are pervasive and interdisciplinary (involving writers, artists, etc., not just coders). He criticised fragmented policy, pushed for standard supports like skills pipelines and funding, and urged treating the sector seriously as part of the £250bn global industry (Scotland’s £350m share).
- Liam Kerr MSP (Conservative, North East Scotland): Noted nationwide growth (e.g., north-east partnerships with PlayStation, e-sports, VR applications), transferable skills to other sectors, and supported the plan’s skills focus.
- Foysol Choudhury MSP (Independent, Lothian): Praised regional benefits (e.g., Rockstar North in Edinburgh) but stressed strengthening workers’ rights amid layoffs since 2022, crunch culture, inadequate protections, and union growth (e.g., IWGB). He called for trade union representation in any new bodies like a “Games Scotland” entity to retain talent.
- Richard Lochhead (SNP, Minister for Business and Employment): Responded positively, acknowledging Scotland’s legacy (e.g., Abertay’s 1997 pioneering games degree, Dundee’s ZX Spectrum roots), sector growth (135 enterprises, 800% increase since 2010), and innovation spillovers (e.g., healthcare, military, finance). He outlined existing support (Ecosystem Fund, Techscaler international trips, DICE Europe hosting) and committed to carefully considering the recommendations, including a requested meeting with plan authors and the cross-party group.
Overall, the debate was optimistic and unifying, framing the plan as a blueprint to move from an “unsupported secret weapon” to institutionalised priority, with calls for prompt government action ahead of elections.
