The gaming industry contributes £188.4 million annually to Scotland’s economy and provides 2181 full time jobs but it’s been facing some challenges in recent years, not least from funding streams drying up thanks to Brexit. A motion introduced by our candidate and, we hope, future MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Neil Alexander.  Neil knows what he is talking about as he worked in the industry for 8 years. By the way, Neil’s social media output is the best in the business. Follow him on Instagram here.

The motion calls for:

• Establish regional “hubs” across all areas of Scotland for both digital media and video games industry, providing low-cost office space for both sectors, rather than the rent-a-desk options currently available.
• Create a Games Innovation Centre to act as a central hub for research, development and expertise sharing, supporting new start-ups with vital business skills.
• Launch a new pilot fund to support targeted sector growth for newer start-up studios.
• Condition access to any public funding or support body on games companies adhering to fair work practices, such as Fair Work First, to ensure the fair treatment of all employees within the industry across Scotland.
• Develop a new educational strategy which actively engages industry-leading experts and supports the next generation of high-quality university courses, putting practical experience, such as guaranteed industry placements.
• Explore business rates exemptions for digital media and video games start-ups for the period of a first product release window while these companies establish a steady revenue stream.

Here’s Neil’s speech proposing the motion:

Conference, I’ll start by declaring the biggest conflict of interest I’ve had in speaking to you these last few years.

I’m a gamer. I’ve worked in game development for over eight years. And I even wrote a PhD on how games can be used to train real world decision making in sport.

And in May, I want to be the first ever game developer elected to any UK parliament, by winning our target seat of Inverness and Nairn.

Conference, video games have a unique power to bring people together across borders and cultures, and to immerse people in experiences that can entertain, educate, and even support health and wellbeing. The gaming industry now generates more revenue globally than film and music combined.

And Scotland has played a major role in that success. More than two thousand people are employed in the sector here, contributing nearly two hundred million pounds to our economy every year. From global hits like Grand Theft Auto to major international projects produced by Scottish studios today, we have proven talent and global reach.

But while ministers are happy to press start on celebrating success, meaningful support for the industry has barely made it past level one.

Last year the Scottish Government launched a national digital strategy that did not even mention the games industry. Let that sink in. A globally successful Scottish sector, completely absent from the very strategy that is supposed to shape our digital future.

And that speaks to a deeper problem this motion identifies. Games, digital media and technology businesses are still treated as separate silos across economic, digital, skills and cultural policy. That fragmentation limits collaboration, scale and long term resilience. It is holding Scotland back in an industry where we should be leading.

And the consequences are real. Despite success stories, smaller studios struggle to get off the ground because of limited early funding and a lack of affordable studio space. Since Brexit, Scottish companies have also lost access to major European creative funding streams that once supported development and growth.

When Axis Animations closed with over one hundred and sixty job losses, my Freedom of Information request found the Scottish Government never even contacted the company or anyone involved. No engagement. No support. No response to people losing their livelihoods in a flagship Scottish creative industry.

That is why this motion calls for structured engagement with the sector. Because right now, it simply does not exist.

There are also clear infrastructure gaps. Techscaler hubs may work for some tech start ups, but they do not suit games studios that rely on collaborative production environments. And across the entire Highlands and Islands there is only one such hub. That matters, because this is an industry that could bring high skill, high value jobs to rural and island communities if we get the policy right.

Research by the Universities of Glasgow and Stirling identified the same challenges. Gaps in business skills within studios. Lack of dedicated funding. Weak academic support. Limited understanding of the sector. And the absence of a central games hub in Scotland.

Meanwhile, comparable nations like Finland are investing strategically and growing rapidly. If we do not act, Scotland risks losing talent, studios and investment to countries that recognise the opportunity in front of them.

So conference, we know the problems. Lack of recognition. Fragmented policy. Financial barriers for start ups. Lack of suitable space. Weak engagement. And poor support structures.

This motion sets out the solutions.

It calls for the Scottish Government to recognise the video games sector as a distinct industry in its own right, embedded across economic, digital and skills strategies, and to recognise eGaming as an emerging part of Scotland’s sporting and cultural landscape.

It calls for regional games and digital media hubs across Scotland, providing affordable studio space suited to production teams, not just hot desks. As liberals who believe in spreading opportunity, that means new jobs and new creative industries in every part of Scotland, not just the central belt.

It proposes a national Games Innovation Centre to support research, skills development and knowledge sharing across the sector, strengthening regional hubs and helping new studios build sustainable businesses.

It supports delivery of the Scottish Games Action Plan with industry partners, and the creation of a dedicated pilot fund for new studios, recognising both economic potential and the cultural value of Scottish created games.

It links public support to fair work standards, so that funding helps build a sector that treats its workforce properly. And it calls on both the Scottish and UK Governments to engage constructively with trade unions and tackle exploitative practices that still exist in parts of the industry.

It calls for a stronger education strategy, attracting industry experts into teaching and ensuring meaningful placements, so the next generation of Scottish developers can build careers here rather than elsewhere.

And it proposes exploring business rate relief for new studios during their first product release window, helping them reach the point where revenue can sustain them.

Conference, I began by saying I am a gamer and a developer. I have seen the impact games can have in education, in health, in culture and in the economy. Scotland already has the creativity, the talent and the global reputation.

What it lacks is policy that is finally ready to play.

So let us be the party that recognises this industry, backs its workers, and helps it grow across all of Scotland. Not just celebrating wins after they happen, but investing so they can happen here in the first place.

Conference, it is time for Scotland to level up its support for games and digital media.

I urge you to back the motion.