A multi-million-pound project to drive innovation in the video games sector could create more than 100 jobs in Tayside and Fife.
InGAME (Innovation for Games and Media Enterprise) was established in 2018.
The £11.5 million project was launched by Abertay University in collaboration with the University of Dundee, the University of St Andrews and industry partners.
It is regarded as the national testbed for video games innovation.
A report from BiGGAR Economics, published on Wednesday, has shown the economic and societal impacts of the project.
It shows companies collaborating with InGAME are expected to generate an estimated £84.7m gross value added (GVA) for the UK economy over the 10-year period 2023-2032.
It also shows £55.3m GVA and 115 jobs will be generated within the Tay Cities Region alone.
The report noted for every £1 of public funding, InGAME is expected to generate more than £15 for the UK economy.
InGAME’s goal was to prove the impact R&D can have on a city video games cluster.
It aimed to increase scale and value in Dundee through product, service and experience innovation via:
- collaborative applied research
- video games cluster development support
- innovation challenges
To date, more than 177 research projects have been funded through InGAME’s innovation voucher scheme.
More than 2,200 games industry professionals and researchers have been upskilled through training and engagement activities.
Success of InGAME shows importance of Dundee’s video games industrty
Director of InGAME Sean Taylor said: “The video games industry holds massive value for the UK but it is a sector that must keep up with the rapid pace of digital innovation and increasingly tough competition from overseas games development hubs.
“Since its launch, InGAME has grown to become a convening power at the heart of the Dundee cluster.
“The success of the InGAME cluster underlines the creative, cultural and economic importance of our world class video games industry.
“It also demonstrates the value of AHRC’s sustained investment in the UK’s creative sector.”
The impact of InGAME was instrumental in Abertay University securing preferred bidder status to host one of four new UK virtual production labs.
InGAME is part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) creative industries clusters programme, funded by the UK Government.
It also receives additional investment from the Scottish Funding Council.
Helen Cross is director of research and innovation at the Scottish Funding Council.
She added: “Today’s figures confirm the positive impact InGAME’s research and development has had on the UK games industry and on the economy of the Tay Cities Region.
“We’re proud to have been involved in the project from its earliest days and to be continuing to make an investment in its success.”
InGAME work hailed as ‘ground-breaking’
Brian Baglow from the Scottish Games Network added the work of InGAME had been “ground-breaking”.
He said it had been “invaluable in understanding the challenges facing Scotland’s rapidly evolving games sector”.
Mr Baglow added: “It was the most comprehensive research undertaken into the games industry in Scotland.
“It will directly support the creation of an ecosystem-wide cluster which can implement all of the solutions proposed by the research.
That will, he said, help to create a “more consistently successful and collaborative” games sector.
