Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Official Report 1007KB pdf

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Scottish Games Week 2023

The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-10453, in the name of Clare Adamson, on Scottish games week 2023. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I invite members who wish to participate to press their request-to-speak buttons.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament marks the second annual Scottish Games Week, which will take place from 30 October to 3 November 2023; understands that Scottish Games Week, organised by the Scottish Games Network, with the Scottish Government’s Scottish Tech Ecosystem Review (STER) fund, will focus on video games and position the games sector as, it believes, a crucial part of Scotland’s digital future; notes that Scottish Games Week was launched in 2022 as the first-of-its-kind celebration of what it sees as Scotland’s booming games industry, and that the 2023 initiative will showcase what it sees as Scotland’s innovative and diverse games ecosystem to act as a catalyst for a more connected and collaborative digital society in Scotland, the UK and internationally; understands that Scottish Games Week will bring together game developers, publishers, educators and policymakers, as well as the broader games ecosystem and media, offering the opportunity to attend in-person or online events to put games created in Scotland in front of a global audience; considers that Scotland has played a pioneering role in the evolution of the games sector since the late 1980s, and continues to produce some of the world’s most popular games; understands that Scotland-based games development companies invest £141 million in salaries and overheads, employ 6,400 people, contribute £129 million in tax revenue and are worth around £350 million to the Scottish economy; believes that there is extraordinary potential for growth in the games sector, eclipsing that of traditional entertainment media, and the diverse applications that games technology can have in areas such as education, healthcare, social inclusion, culture, and environmental policy; further believes that Scotland can cement its place as a world leader in gaming by looking to countries such as Finland, where the games sector generates over £2.4 billion for the Finnish economy thanks to a focus on startups, investment and new business; welcomes the return of the Scottish Games Awards, which recognise, reward and highlight what it sees as the incredible creativity, technical expertise and business acumen that the pioneering and rapidly evolving games sector in Scotland has, and wishes everyone involved in Scottish Games Week 2023 the very best with the initiative.

17:21  

I am thrilled to open the debate as the constituency MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw and—for complete transparency—as a chaotic neutral. I thank my colleagues in the chamber for their participation in supporting the motion.

The inaugural Scottish games week was last year, and I pay tribute to the indomitable Brian Baglow of the Scottish Games Network for drawing it together. His determined advocacy for the games sector in Scotland has brought gaming into the spotlight, and it was brilliant to see the fruits of his labour in Dynamic Earth for the opening of the conference. There is a plethora of exciting events still to come this week until 7 November, so I ask members to get involved where they can.

Why is the games sector underrepresented in our public policy? Crucially, how are we going to change that? The games industry forms the largest entertainment media in the world by some distance. Global market revenues stand at $214.2 billion, with a projected annual growth of 8.4 per cent. The sector eclipses traditional entertainment media and is worth more than the music and video industries combined. The headline figures paint a picture of a colossal economic potential, but the games sector is much more than that; it is an ecosystem. If we can support the games ecosystem in Scotland to thrive, it will bring enormous benefits to our society not only economically but socially and culturally.

We all know the big players—we are not far from one of them—but I am interested in looking at the big picture in Scotland. There are innovative small studios across the country, and they need our support to flourish. It takes a lot to make a game and it is a hard slog, but there are opportunities for software developers, coders, engineers, actors, artists, musicians, writers, animators, graphic designers, translators, advertisers, educators, lawyers and event planners. I could go on, but the games industry will touch every aspect of our lives and every sector of the economy, including health and our social contract with the people of Scotland. With a little more collaboration and a drive to a co-ordinated public policy, we can make the most of that ecosystem in Scotland.

Members who are in the chamber might not think that they are gamers, but they have probably used or enjoyed game technology without knowing it. Almost every film that is produced in Hollywood now is reliant on game engines for their effects. Members might play Wordle or Candy Crush. Forget “Snakes on a Plane”, members might even be playing snake games on their phone in the chamber as we speak, or they might have done so in the past.

The sector is thriving globally. It can provide employment, build skills and development, foster community and even foster social change. People might remember the story of a virtual library on Minecraft, created by Reporters Without Borders, that has hosted important works that have been censored by states. Articles by, among others, Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was killed by Saudi agents in 2018, can be read there. For me, that is a perfect example of games being used in a way that few of us could have envisaged or imagined.

Have people considered video games as a vehicle for social change? Academia is starting to demonstrate the benefits that games can have through encouraging social inclusion and challenging inequalities through games events and competitions. Research by Harshadha Balasubramanian, from University College London, indicates that investing in inclusion can improve the overall experience for all games users and expand design innovation.

Gaming is changing our social and cultural norms, but the games sector remains somewhat poorly understood. We need to challenge tired perceptions of video games and recognise the gamifying of industries such as forestry, helicopter training and remote surgery—the list goes on. We know that gaming can improve cognition, and there is increasingly promising research on the use of games technology in learning about and managing conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s.

Think about what we could achieve with a co-ordinated approach to our games ecosystem—one that is fit for purpose and that fully recognises, values and supports the creativity of the industry. For example, unlike the situation in Wales and England and in Toronto in Canada, our games system sits outwith Screen Scotland and alongside organisations connected to Creative Scotland such as those relating to crafts, but should it be there? We need to have that conversation with the industry.

In many respects, the sector in Scotland is doing well. Following the inaugural Scottish games week last year, I was pleased to see the launch of Techscaler, which is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by CodeBase. The tension between creativity and commerce was highlighted in “Scotland’s Games Ecosystem: The State of Play: Challenges and Opportunities”, a report by the University of Glasgow and the University of Stirling with the Scottish Games Network and InGAME.

Colleges across Scotland offer education courses, and Abertay University is held as the totemic example of an institution that provides games-specific education. However, our school and college curriculums need to keep pace with developments in artificial intelligence. We are only just embedding coding skills at the moment, but ChatGPT can do coding for people, as highlighted by keynote speaker Rob Elsworthy, lecturer at Toronto Film School and studio head, at the launch of the Scottish Games Network.

We need to link opportunities with schools and colleges and with apprenticeships. Generally, we need more collaboration between the games sector and others. We cannot allow opportunities and funding to be taken up in the north of England and in Wales because gamers in Scotland are shut off from funding from film industries.

Previously, people lived or died by their ability to get into the largest magazine publications, but new platforms such as Steam and Discord, as well as streaming on Twitch and YouTube, have changed all that. Many developers do not go into gaming to become entrepreneurs or business leaders. Feedback from Scottish games week suggests that supporting developers on the commercial side is a key challenge for public policy, and we need to model that support to suit the ecosystem in Scotland. Small business start-up models, which have traditionally been supported by local gateways or Scottish Enterprise, simply do not support the industry in the way that is needed for it to grow. Studios such as Team Terrible, with its mega-hit The Baby in Yellow are glowing examples of the new success stories, but we could replicate such successes over and over again.

I was dejected to hear that Scottish games week has lost out on its ecosystem funding for next year, but we are building momentum for the sector, and we need public institutions behind it. A healthy and vibrant games ecosystem in Scotland, supported by collaborative and strategic public policy, will bring immense social, cultural and economic benefits, alongside innovations that we cannot yet predict. In short, the games sector is here to play, and that is a world cup that Scotland could win.

Thank you, Ms Adamson. For the avoidance of doubt, I point out that playing Candy Crush is not in keeping with acceptable chamber behaviour and is strongly discouraged.

17:29  

I had better put my phone down, Presiding Officer.

I congratulate Clare Adamson on securing time for the debate. After the success of the inaugural event last year, it is great to see the return of Scottish games week. Once again, this year’s event will give all involved the opportunity to come together, collaborate and celebrate the wonderful success story that is the Scottish gaming sector.

We cannot celebrate that success without talking about the role that Dundee has played in it. I remember when, as a young boy back in the early 1990s, I played Lemmings—a simple but compelling strategy game in which players had to instruct little creatures to fulfil a number of roles with the purpose of navigating through puzzles and moving on to the next level. Who knew that those skills would come in so handy 25 years later, when I was chief whip to the Scottish Conservatives? At the time, I had no idea that Lemmings had been developed in Perth Road in Dundee, just a short distance away from where I was playing it. With 20 million copies sold, that game ultimately transformed DMA Design and put it on the pathway to becoming Rockstar North. Not only did the game transform the company’s fortunes; it was the catalyst for transforming Dundee into one of the most globally significant centres for computer game development.

The role of Dundee-based companies in the development of iconic games such as Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto cannot be overstated. Those titles now stand at numbers 1 and 2 in the list of the globally best-selling video games of all time. People who play Grand Theft Auto could be forgiven for thinking that the game has come straight out of silicon valley, given the way in which it captures American culture, at least in part. However, it is perhaps its often comedic and satirical nature that gives away its Scottish roots, as well as the numerous Easter eggs dotted through the series giving a nod to its Dundonian and Scottish origins. Abertay University also needs recognition for the fact that, in 1997, it had the foresight to be the first university to offer gaming-related degrees.

All of that has contributed to Dundee being an incubator for computer game development. The number of computer game companies based in the city is now in double figures, and they employ significant numbers of people in well-paid jobs with excellent career progression opportunities. The culmination of Dundee’s history and its presence as a world leader in computer game development is the proposed 4,000-seater e-sports arena for the city, which would see a multipurpose arena at Dundee’s waterfront hosting live concerts and events. We can all hope that those plans are fully realised as soon as possible.

I commend all those who have supported the computer games industry in Dundee over the past few decades, from the visionary games developers, the private investors and the universities and colleges to local government and Scotland’s two Governments. I call on our public sector partners to keep their focus on Dundee and redouble their efforts. Let us keep Dundee as the epicentre of computer game development in the United Kingdom.

Thank you very much, Mr Golden. I add that Lemmings falls into the same category as Candy Crush when it comes to chamber etiquette.

17:34  

I thank my colleague Clare Adamson for securing the debate, in which we have heard great speeches so far. It was good to hear Minecraft being mentioned. I was very glad when that went digital, because I had lost track of how much money I had spent on replacing scratched disks.

The world of gaming has undeniably undergone a remarkable evolution. We have witnessed a journey that started with iconic arcade games such as Space Invaders and has now evolved into mind-blowing virtual reality, in which we immerse ourselves in uncharted worlds, confront fresh challenges and conquer epic quests. My mum has a little shot and crashes into the television, too.

Here in Scotland, as we have heard, gaming contributes around £350 million to our economy, and home-grown cutting-edge creativity from companies such as Rockstar North is a source of huge national pride that goes beyond Dundee.

With three teenagers at home, I am no stranger to gaming. Although I nag them about screen time, I have also seen the positive impact of gaming on my kids’ personal development, critical life skills and cultural awareness and I will focus on the positives of gaming in my speech. Gaming can be much more than just childhood fun; it can play a fundamental role in enhancing educational experience by improving cognitive function and the learning of facts and by increasing cultural awareness.

The built-in rewards systems of points, levels, progress bars, track advancement and feedback make games especially motivating and stimulating in comparison with other educational interventions. A study by researchers at the University of Vermont, “Association of Video Gaming With Cognitive Performance Among Children”, found that children who played video games for three hours a day showed higher levels of brain activity in areas associated with attention and memory than were found in non-players.

I have my own examples of that. During a random dinner table conversation, we were surprised by our teenage son’s in-depth knowledge of Egypt’s people, geography, history and artefacts. When asked if he had been studying Egypt at school, he said that he had learned from the game Assassin’s Creed, explaining how he had used detailed maps for navigation, collected ancient artefacts to move up through the levels and completed quests to earn points that could later be spent on medical aid and advanced equipment, meaning that there was a little bit of maths in there too.

Young gamers are clever problem solvers. They are confronted with challenges and rise to the occasion to solve complex cognitive tasks by using critical thinking and creativity. Repeated failures are steps on the road to success, fostering resilience in the face of setbacks and encouraging gamers to persist in honing their skills and keep pushing their limits. Those are all essential life skills. Believe me: my children do not give up until they achieve an epic win.

Gaming can act as a form of escapism for many, but it is also an experience to be shared with others. Through mutual objectives and achievements, gamers build strong social connections and relationships with children who live on the opposite side of the world.

Online gaming can be especially meaningful for autistic people and others with neurodiversity because communication happens on a level playing field without the challenges of trying to read facial expressions and body language, which can be a daily struggle. Gaming is a more comfortable, autonomous and goal-driven way of making friends. It has been suggested that interest in gaming is higher among autistic people, and it makes sense that having a structure and predictable rules would be appealing to that group. Positive reinforcement can motivate autistic people to keep playing, increasing their ability to engage with others.

Although I acknowledge that gaming can be associated with problematic behaviours, it is really important also to acknowledge the benefits. Parents are used to imparting lessons to their children, but we can learn valuable lessons from them. I have certainly found that gaming is a way to do that and there is something amazing and quite wonderful about learning from our children. I encourage parents to engage with their children’s gaming. The next time that they feel the urge to nag a child about screen time, they could instead take time to join in with the play, celebrate their children’s achievements and be led by them, on their own terms. Any parent doing so would also be playing their part in Clare Adamson’s call for support for Scotland’s gaming ecosystem.

17:38  

I thank Clare Adamson for bringing this important debate to the chamber. As others have said, Scotland has massive potential in the games industry. The industry contributes £129 million to our gross domestic product through direct and indirect tax revenue, and Scotland-based games development companies invest £141 million in jobs and are responsible for employing 6,400 people.

Gaming is part of the economy in the Glasgow region, which I represent. With a higher number of gaming companies operating in Glasgow than in any other region in Scotland, Glasgow has played, and will play, a key part in developing Scotland’s contribution to the industry and the economy. From our strong record in the creative industries to the presence of world-class education institutions in this space, such as the Glasgow School of Art, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and many schools, colleges and universities, we have the potential to grow the impact of gaming in Glasgow even more.

The games sector sits at the intersection of the creative, digital, screen and technological industries, and we have to celebrate its role in all those industries if we are to help it to grow. We must recognise that, as well as computing experts and engineers, the sector needs art and artists, design and designers, maths and mathematicians, and many more. For it to flourish, we need to help people to see the potential in gaming for all those interests and to celebrate and support them in education, skills and jobs. The sector’s breadth is vast, and its potential is enormous.

Last night, I was proud to hear directly from the industry about that potential at an event in the Parliament hosted by my colleague Michael Marra. It is crucial that we listen when experts tell us that there is more to do. Scotland’s chief entrepreneur said that the gaming industry could be a lot bigger. The sector tells us that, although gaming is taught in college and uni, students are not taught to monetise it, sell it or promote it. Therefore, the potential of those involved in the gaming industry is, at best, not maximised or, at worst, lost by a failure to highlight it and give learners the confidence to make a career in the industry and maximise their potential in it. There are also concerns that there is a lack of funding for joint projects involving academia and practical gaming development, so there is a gap between what is taught and what is practised.

Education is really important. We need to build and nourish skills in tech, the arts, computing, science and maths from the early years all the way through to the workplace in order to inspire a passion for the subjects that, together, create this diverse industry. At every opportunity, those skills can and should be developed to give people the confidence to pursue those subjects and then a career in innovating the gaming of the future.

The decisions that we make in the Parliament can do that. They can help us to inspire young people to pursue those skills and gain the tools that they need to excel in the gaming industry. Young people must know that science, technology, engineering, arts and maths—STEAM—matter, that their application is huge and, crucially, that they are fun and can lead to a vibrant and cutting-edge career.

I welcome the return of the Scottish games awards and, especially, the education symposium that took place in the V&A in Dundee today. Bringing together sectors, businesses and educators is key to unlocking the potential in the industry, so we must ensure that everyone who wants to be part of it can be. There should be no class, glass or step ceiling in the way. Everyone must be able to contribute to, participate in, benefit from and celebrate the gaming sector and all that it has to offer in Scotland, so that it can reach its full potential and that Scotland can reach hers.

As with all STEAM areas—I have added an A for arts to STEM—we need to work particularly hard to open up opportunities to young girls. Colleagues will know that I regularly discuss in the chamber the importance of doing that. That goes for gaming, too.

17:43  

I am very excited to take part in the debate. I thank Clare Adamson for bringing to the chamber this important motion on the second Scottish games week.

Gaming is, without a doubt, an asset to Scotland, as we have heard from members who have taken part in the debate. Scotland has a long and pivotal history in gaming and has helped to shape the global gaming landscape with iconic titles such as Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, so I am extremely proud that the Scottish Government has provided funding for Scottish games week, which gives an important platform for the Scottish gaming community to come together, celebrate its successes, learn from its challenges and showcase its talent.

I am really pleased to see the motion because, despite its successes, gaming has historically received a bit of a bad name and there has always been a bit of a mixed reaction to it. Too often, gaming is associated with negative impacts. Ms Adamson said that the industry is massively underrepresented, and how it is viewed has something to do with that.

As a member of the Parliament, I have always aimed to highlight the positive impacts that gaming can have. I have been playing games on a console since I was five years old. My grandpa bought me a Sega Mega Drive for my Christmas, and that was me—I have been playing ever since. In fact, I was pleased to put my skills to the test last year in the Parliament when I topped the Sonic all-stars racing leaderboard among some of my MSP colleagues. That was a proud moment.

In all seriousness, gaming has always been a hugely positive thing for me, and it has always been difficult for me to understand why something that has helped me so much throughout my life attracts so much negativity. It is only in recent years that the possibilities have been truly realised, and I have been very pleased to hear members highlighting those positive impacts.

Gaming can have huge educational benefits, such as those relating to problem solving, concentration, numeracy, memory and literacy. I am not sure whether any members have read the lore throughout games such as Final Fantasy and Assassin’s Creed—Stephanie Callaghan might be with me on this one—but that rivals some of the textbooks that I used for my university degree.

Games have emerged as a dynamic tool for learning and development in education. Education games provide an engaging and interactive way to acquire new knowledge and skills. From language learning to complex problem solving, games have the capacity to make education much more enjoyable and effective.

Equally, the immersion and escapism that people experience when playing a game can have really positive impacts when they face difficulties in life. No one looks twice at someone when they pick up a book to help with their mental health or wellbeing. Things should be no different for someone who picks up a game. I believe that the cultural value of games is being more widely recognised as we see more and more games being adapted for film and television.

Gaming has always had a social side. For years, we have had traditional couch co-op, where people can enjoy gaming with their friends, work together as a team or compete against one another. However, especially since the rise in technology and online gaming, gaming has opened up a whole new world to people who might experience isolation. That was especially true during the pandemic, when some people relied on online gaming as their sole interaction with other people.

Inclusivity has been highlighted. That is a focus of games that I have been proud to see increase over the years. When I first started gaming, it was certainly not built for women or young girls, but now women are not just a sidekick. Leading women characters are more common and, best of all, their bodies are finally a little bit more realistic.

However, things go so much further than that. Game developers are looking at ways in which games can ensure that no one is left behind and everyone can benefit. We have already heard about games that have been developed specifically for autistic people and the impact that they have had. In my role as a judge for this year’s games awards, I was pleased to see games that have been built for people who have visual or hearing impairments. With the rise in technology, the possibilities are endless, and the positive impacts stretch way beyond traditional gaming.

Taking all that into account—I have really only scratched the surface—I am keen to show the Government’s support for that key industry and, equally, to see it grow further. In “Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation”, we set out that we want Scotland to be

“a nation of entrepreneurs and innovators”.

Harnessing the power of games will help us to get there.

The impacts of gaming can be transformational, and I believe that they fit well with the wellbeing economy that we all want to see. Gaming has the potential to drive economic growth, nurture creativity and inspire the next generation. Our £42 million national Techscaler programme can play a vital role in supporting games-related businesses—for instance, by providing wraparound expertise and facilities to start-ups to help them to grow sustainably.

Over and above that, the Scottish Government is more determined than ever to engage with and support our gaming sector. Scottish games week is a fine example of that.

The games industry is an example of one of Scotland’s many successes. The wealth of expertise and innovation that can be applied in the broader landscape of technological advancement and sustainability could be utilised across many different sectors. I believe that Scotland has a lot to learn from the gaming sector, and I am determined that we do even more to realise that potential, so I can assure members that I will work closely with ministerial colleagues to ensure that we understand the positive impacts of gaming that have been highlighted for individuals and the economy.

I am really pleased that the First Minister will host a round-table discussion tomorrow ahead of the games awards with key figures, developers and games studios to gain industry collaboration, demonstrate commitment and understand the challenges and potential solutions.

Scottish games week is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the many fantastic achievements of the gaming industry so far, and I really want to take the opportunity to do that. The industry should keep creating and innovating, and it should know that its Government stands ready to support it in service of our shared goals.

I thank Clare Adamson once again for bringing the debate to the chamber, and I thank all those who have contributed to it and all those who are working in Scotland to grow the sector.

As a son of the Space Invaders generation, seldom has a debate made me feel quite so old.

That concludes the debate.

Meeting closed at 17:49.