#appliedgames — Public Fediverse posts

Games as Survival: GTMO 441 – TONIGHT

This evening, Thursday 28 May 2026, Dundee’s Biome Collective will host a public sharing of an extraordinary, Creative Scotland-funded residency project: GTMO 441: Games, Detention, Power.

Taking place both in person at Abertay University and streamed live online from 5:30pm, the event offers a first look at experimental playable media shaped by the lived experience of Mansoor Adayfi, who was detained without charge at Guantánamo Bay for 14 years.

A Study in Resistance and Psychological Escape

This project is a collaboration between Biome Collective, and researchers from Abertay and Mississippi State Universities. Over the course of a week-long residency workshop, the international team has been exploring how we might respond to life inside Guantánamo using experiential storytelling, game design, and playable media.

The creative focus here is profoundly unique. The team is not trying to build a superficial simulation of confinement. Instead, they are experimenting with ways to reflect how games – both traditional, improvised, and digital – became active tools of survival, resistance, and psychological escape under conditions of extreme confinement.

For 14 years, under conditions designed to strip away agency, play became a mechanism for reclaiming humanity. To study how those improvisational acts of play can be translated into interactive digital experiences is some of the most artistically innovative, ethically grounded, and emotionally resonant work to emerge from the Scottish cluster.

Strategic Analysis: The True Power of the Medium

At SGN, I have spent years challenging the insular nature of the ‘industry’. When we confine our thinking to the retail shelf, we miss the true power of our craft. GTMO 441 is a vital reminder of the games sector’s capacity to collaborate with historians, human rights advocates, and international scholars to keep urgent stories alive. This is the More Than Games philosophy in its most profound, human-centric form.

As Guantánamo continues to hold detainees amidst renewed proposals to expand operations there, this project insists that these narratives remain active and unfinished. By bringing together game designers like Biome’s Malath Abbas and Tom deMajo with memoir co-writer Antonio Aiello, researcher Jenna Altomonte, artist Joseph DeLappe, and scholar Darshana Jayemanne, Biome Collective is proving that Dundee is a hub for brave, boundary-pushing digital art that refuses to play it safe.

Join the Conversation Tonight

I strongly encourage everyone interested in the power of interactive storytelling to join this this evening’s event. It will feature a presentation from Mansoor Adayfi himself, followed by presentations from the project team, a panel discussion, and a live Q&A.

This is a rare opportunity to witness the raw, early-stage development of a project that could redefine how we view the ethical boundaries of game design. Whether you can make it to the room in Dundee or choose to tune in from home, your presence supports the kind of vital, independent creativity that makes our national ecosystem so special.

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday 28 May 2026 (Tonight)
• Time: 5:30pm (Experimental games to play), 6:00pm (Presentations, panel, and Q&A), wrapping up by 7:30pm
• IRL Venue: Room 1502, Abertay University, Dundee (Venue details: Abertay Room 1502)
• Online Stream: Join live from 5:30pm via Microsoft Teams (Stream link: GTMO 441 Teams Meeting)

Learn more about the creators: Biome Collective

Games as Survival: GTMO 441 – TONIGHT

This evening, Thursday 28 May 2026, Dundee’s Biome Collective will host a public sharing of an extraordinary, Creative Scotland-funded residency project: GTMO 441: Games, Detention, Power.

Taking place both in person at Abertay University and streamed live online from 5:30pm, the event offers a first look at experimental playable media shaped by the lived experience of Mansoor Adayfi, who was detained without charge at Guantánamo Bay for 14 years.

A Study in Resistance and Psychological Escape

This project is a collaboration between Biome Collective, and researchers from Abertay and Mississippi State Universities. Over the course of a week-long residency workshop, the international team has been exploring how we might respond to life inside Guantánamo using experiential storytelling, game design, and playable media.

The creative focus here is profoundly unique. The team is not trying to build a superficial simulation of confinement. Instead, they are experimenting with ways to reflect how games – both traditional, improvised, and digital – became active tools of survival, resistance, and psychological escape under conditions of extreme confinement.

For 14 years, under conditions designed to strip away agency, play became a mechanism for reclaiming humanity. To study how those improvisational acts of play can be translated into interactive digital experiences is some of the most artistically innovative, ethically grounded, and emotionally resonant work to emerge from the Scottish cluster.

Strategic Analysis: The True Power of the Medium

At SGN, I have spent years challenging the insular nature of the ‘industry’. When we confine our thinking to the retail shelf, we miss the true power of our craft. GTMO 441 is a vital reminder of the games sector’s capacity to collaborate with historians, human rights advocates, and international scholars to keep urgent stories alive. This is the More Than Games philosophy in its most profound, human-centric form.

As Guantánamo continues to hold detainees amidst renewed proposals to expand operations there, this project insists that these narratives remain active and unfinished. By bringing together game designers like Biome’s Malath Abbas and Tom deMajo with memoir co-writer Antonio Aiello, researcher Jenna Altomonte, artist Joseph DeLappe, and scholar Darshana Jayemanne, Biome Collective is proving that Dundee is a hub for brave, boundary-pushing digital art that refuses to play it safe.

Join the Conversation Tonight

I strongly encourage everyone interested in the power of interactive storytelling to join this this evening’s event. It will feature a presentation from Mansoor Adayfi himself, followed by presentations from the project team, a panel discussion, and a live Q&A.

This is a rare opportunity to witness the raw, early-stage development of a project that could redefine how we view the ethical boundaries of game design. Whether you can make it to the room in Dundee or choose to tune in from home, your presence supports the kind of vital, independent creativity that makes our national ecosystem so special.

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday 28 May 2026 (Tonight)
• Time: 5:30pm (Experimental games to play), 6:00pm (Presentations, panel, and Q&A), wrapping up by 7:30pm
• IRL Venue: Room 1502, Abertay University, Dundee (Venue details: Abertay Room 1502)
• Online Stream: Join live from 5:30pm via Microsoft Teams (Stream link: GTMO 441 Teams Meeting)

Learn more about the creators: Biome Collective

Games as Survival: GTMO 441 – TONIGHT

This evening, Thursday 28 May 2026, Dundee’s Biome Collective will host a public sharing of an extraordinary, Creative Scotland-funded residency project: GTMO 441: Games, Detention, Power.

Taking place both in person at Abertay University and streamed live online from 5:30pm, the event offers a first look at experimental playable media shaped by the lived experience of Mansoor Adayfi, who was detained without charge at Guantánamo Bay for 14 years.

A Study in Resistance and Psychological Escape

This project is a collaboration between Biome Collective, and researchers from Abertay and Mississippi State Universities. Over the course of a week-long residency workshop, the international team has been exploring how we might respond to life inside Guantánamo using experiential storytelling, game design, and playable media.

The creative focus here is profoundly unique. The team is not trying to build a superficial simulation of confinement. Instead, they are experimenting with ways to reflect how games – both traditional, improvised, and digital – became active tools of survival, resistance, and psychological escape under conditions of extreme confinement.

For 14 years, under conditions designed to strip away agency, play became a mechanism for reclaiming humanity. To study how those improvisational acts of play can be translated into interactive digital experiences is some of the most artistically innovative, ethically grounded, and emotionally resonant work to emerge from the Scottish cluster.

Strategic Analysis: The True Power of the Medium

At SGN, I have spent years challenging the insular nature of the ‘industry’. When we confine our thinking to the retail shelf, we miss the true power of our craft. GTMO 441 is a vital reminder of the games sector’s capacity to collaborate with historians, human rights advocates, and international scholars to keep urgent stories alive. This is the More Than Games philosophy in its most profound, human-centric form.

As Guantánamo continues to hold detainees amidst renewed proposals to expand operations there, this project insists that these narratives remain active and unfinished. By bringing together game designers like Biome’s Malath Abbas and Tom deMajo with memoir co-writer Antonio Aiello, researcher Jenna Altomonte, artist Joseph DeLappe, and scholar Darshana Jayemanne, Biome Collective is proving that Dundee is a hub for brave, boundary-pushing digital art that refuses to play it safe.

Join the Conversation Tonight

I strongly encourage everyone interested in the power of interactive storytelling to join this this evening’s event. It will feature a presentation from Mansoor Adayfi himself, followed by presentations from the project team, a panel discussion, and a live Q&A.

This is a rare opportunity to witness the raw, early-stage development of a project that could redefine how we view the ethical boundaries of game design. Whether you can make it to the room in Dundee or choose to tune in from home, your presence supports the kind of vital, independent creativity that makes our national ecosystem so special.

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday 28 May 2026 (Tonight)
• Time: 5:30pm (Experimental games to play), 6:00pm (Presentations, panel, and Q&A), wrapping up by 7:30pm
• IRL Venue: Room 1502, Abertay University, Dundee (Venue details: Abertay Room 1502)
• Online Stream: Join live from 5:30pm via Microsoft Teams (Stream link: GTMO 441 Teams Meeting)

Learn more about the creators: Biome Collective

The Billion-Pound Ghost: Why Project Pathfinder is the Economic Firewall Scotland’s Games Sector Needs

Project Pathfinder: Last week, the Herald published its list of the 50 most powerful people in Scottish arts and culture. It was an impressive collection of talent – but it was also a perfect snapshot of why the interactive sector remains a ‘billion-pound ghost’ in our national policy.

Despite being one of the most successful and high-value creative industries we possess, not a single person from the games industry made the list. This invisibility was not a cultural snub; it is a systemic and ingrained risk to our economy.

The Reality Check

For the first time in 14 years, the UK games market is in retreat. Recent data from TIGA shows a sharp 4.5% fall in development jobs, with over 1,500 roles lost in a single year. We are navigating a global market that is increasingly volatile, saturated, and facing increased competition.

As I recently noted in the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Mavens discussion, government support has moved from a ‘nice-to-have’ benefit to a priority. In 2026, a region without a dedicated strategy (or Games Action Plan) isn’t just less competitive – it is effectively invisible in the global market.

A Step in the Right Direction, but Only a Step

We genuinely welcome the UK Government’s recently announced £30 million Games Growth Package. This investment is a vital vote of confidence in the sector. However, it is important to note that this funding addresses only one of the five key recommendations within “Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan“- specifically, the need for a dedicated IP fund.

While funding for new games is essential, it does not address the fundamental need for strategic recognition, knowledgeable business support, education & skills alignment, or the industrialisation of games technologies and techniques. Rather than simply funding more products, we must build the infrastructure that allows our talent to thrive across the entire economy.

Introducing Project Pathfinder

As the author of Level Up, I have argued that we must bridge the ‘Translation Gap’ between games and the wider economy. Today, the Scottish Games Network (SGN) is moving beyond advocacy into industrial delivery with the launch of Project Pathfinder.

We have formally applied for Ecosystem funding to support this initiative and are currently securing letters of support from organisations across Scotland’s other key industries, includeing: Healthcare, Energy, Fintech, Cyber, Data, Creative Industries, Space and more.

Project Pathfinder is not just another games project – it is the only approach currently active in the UK that treats games as an innovation engine for the wider economy and an integral part of the country’s digital future.

By industrialising the connection between game-native technologies, such as Real-Time 3D, simulation, visualisation, engagement and creative design with other critical industries, we are creating a blueprint for the future. Project Pathfinder is a pilot for Scotland (and the proposed National Games Innovation Centre), but it offers a scalable model for the UK as a whole.

(It also offers the opportunity for revenue outside the hit-driven consumer games market, which could potentially make the country’s game developers more investment-friendly).

What Is Project Pathfinder?

It’s simple. Project Pathfinder looks for ways to bring the country’s games ecosystem together with other industries and sectors, and explore opportunities to build connections, opportunities for collaboration and projects where ‘games’ offer an approach that is not yet present in those other sectors. The goal is for Scotland’s games companies, using their unique range of skills, to work with other organisations across the country to develop and deliver paid projects outside the consumer game market.

This does not stop game companies from working on videogames. Instead, it takes the unique skills and approach from the games world and makes them relevant to the challenges and opportunities in other key parts of our economy.

The project aims to deliver three major pieces of work:

• The MTG (More Than Games) Registry: A national digital directory allowing global organisations to find and understand the technical capabilities, skillsets and commercial benchmarks of Scottish games studios.
• The Public Sector Interactive Procurement Toolkit: A bespoke framework to help government departments, public sector bodies, local authorities and corporations understand how to procure interactive services.
• Industrial Activation Sprints: Tailored sessions, connecting game studios with industrial leaders across multiple sectors outside the games ecosystem. This could be a delegation going to a trade event, a tailored workshop to gather data from both sectors, or a dedicated business development sprint.

The Call to Action

The reality is that we simply do not need yet another ‘test-and-finish’ review, which pushes any sort of support another two years down the road. We need the infrastructure that turns our elite £151,382 GVA-per-head potential into a resilient and integrated national asset.

SGN is looking for Founding Industrial Partners to lead our first Activation Sprints. If you are a leader in a high-growth sector and you are struggling with complex data, engagement, or simulation, the games sector may have the solution.

We already have letters of support from some of the country’s leading innovation organisations, including: the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), Social Enterprise Academy (SEA), ScotlandIS, and Tech Scaler with many other organisations lining up to support the project. We’ll be sharing the letters as they are agreed and showing the appetite across Scotland’s economy for collaboration.

If your organisation is interested in exploring ways to understand and work with the games ecosystem please get in touch for an exploratory conversation.

The era of invisibility ends now. It is time to press start on the future of the UK’s interaction economy.

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

The Billion-Pound Ghost: Why Project Pathfinder is the Economic Firewall Scotland’s Games Sector Needs

Project Pathfinder: Last week, the Herald published its list of the 50 most powerful people in Scottish arts and culture. It was an impressive collection of talent – but it was also a perfect snapshot of why the interactive sector remains a ‘billion-pound ghost’ in our national policy.

Despite being one of the most successful and high-value creative industries we possess, not a single person from the games industry made the list. This invisibility was not a cultural snub; it is a systemic and ingrained risk to our economy.

The Reality Check

For the first time in 14 years, the UK games market is in retreat. Recent data from TIGA shows a sharp 4.5% fall in development jobs, with over 1,500 roles lost in a single year. We are navigating a global market that is increasingly volatile, saturated, and facing increased competition.

As I recently noted in the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Mavens discussion, government support has moved from a ‘nice-to-have’ benefit to a priority. In 2026, a region without a dedicated strategy (or Games Action Plan) isn’t just less competitive – it is effectively invisible in the global market.

A Step in the Right Direction, but Only a Step

We genuinely welcome the UK Government’s recently announced £30 million Games Growth Package. This investment is a vital vote of confidence in the sector. However, it is important to note that this funding addresses only one of the five key recommendations within “Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan“- specifically, the need for a dedicated IP fund.

While funding for new games is essential, it does not address the fundamental need for strategic recognition, knowledgeable business support, education & skills alignment, or the industrialisation of games technologies and techniques. Rather than simply funding more products, we must build the infrastructure that allows our talent to thrive across the entire economy.

Introducing Project Pathfinder

As the author of Level Up, I have argued that we must bridge the ‘Translation Gap’ between games and the wider economy. Today, the Scottish Games Network (SGN) is moving beyond advocacy into industrial delivery with the launch of Project Pathfinder.

We have formally applied for Ecosystem funding to support this initiative and are currently securing letters of support from organisations across Scotland’s other key industries, includeing: Healthcare, Energy, Fintech, Cyber, Data, Creative Industries, Space and more.

Project Pathfinder is not just another games project – it is the only approach currently active in the UK that treats games as an innovation engine for the wider economy and an integral part of the country’s digital future.

By industrialising the connection between game-native technologies, such as Real-Time 3D, simulation, visualisation, engagement and creative design with other critical industries, we are creating a blueprint for the future. Project Pathfinder is a pilot for Scotland (and the proposed National Games Innovation Centre), but it offers a scalable model for the UK as a whole.

(It also offers the opportunity for revenue outside the hit-driven consumer games market, which could potentially make the country’s game developers more investment-friendly).

What Is Project Pathfinder?

It’s simple. Project Pathfinder looks for ways to bring the country’s games ecosystem together with other industries and sectors, and explore opportunities to build connections, opportunities for collaboration and projects where ‘games’ offer an approach that is not yet present in those other sectors. The goal is for Scotland’s games companies, using their unique range of skills, to work with other organisations across the country to develop and deliver paid projects outside the consumer game market.

This does not stop game companies from working on videogames. Instead, it takes the unique skills and approach from the games world and makes them relevant to the challenges and opportunities in other key parts of our economy.

The project aims to deliver three major pieces of work:

• The MTG (More Than Games) Registry: A national digital directory allowing global organisations to find and understand the technical capabilities, skillsets and commercial benchmarks of Scottish games studios.
• The Public Sector Interactive Procurement Toolkit: A bespoke framework to help government departments, public sector bodies, local authorities and corporations understand how to procure interactive services.
• Industrial Activation Sprints: Tailored sessions, connecting game studios with industrial leaders across multiple sectors outside the games ecosystem. This could be a delegation going to a trade event, a tailored workshop to gather data from both sectors, or a dedicated business development sprint.

The Call to Action

The reality is that we simply do not need yet another ‘test-and-finish’ review, which pushes any sort of support another two years down the road. We need the infrastructure that turns our elite £151,382 GVA-per-head potential into a resilient and integrated national asset.

SGN is looking for Founding Industrial Partners to lead our first Activation Sprints. If you are a leader in a high-growth sector and you are struggling with complex data, engagement, or simulation, the games sector may have the solution.

We already have letters of support from some of the country’s leading innovation organisations, including: the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), Social Enterprise Academy (SEA), ScotlandIS, and Tech Scaler with many other organisations lining up to support the project. We’ll be sharing the letters as they are agreed and showing the appetite across Scotland’s economy for collaboration.

If your organisation is interested in exploring ways to understand and work with the games ecosystem please get in touch for an exploratory conversation.

The era of invisibility ends now. It is time to press start on the future of the UK’s interaction economy.

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

The Billion-Pound Ghost: Why Project Pathfinder is the Economic Firewall Scotland’s Games Sector Needs

Project Pathfinder: Last week, the Herald published its list of the 50 most powerful people in Scottish arts and culture. It was an impressive collection of talent – but it was also a perfect snapshot of why the interactive sector remains a ‘billion-pound ghost’ in our national policy.

Despite being one of the most successful and high-value creative industries we possess, not a single person from the games industry made the list. This invisibility was not a cultural snub; it is a systemic and ingrained risk to our economy.

The Reality Check

For the first time in 14 years, the UK games market is in retreat. Recent data from TIGA shows a sharp 4.5% fall in development jobs, with over 1,500 roles lost in a single year. We are navigating a global market that is increasingly volatile, saturated, and facing increased competition.

As I recently noted in the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Mavens discussion, government support has moved from a ‘nice-to-have’ benefit to a priority. In 2026, a region without a dedicated strategy (or Games Action Plan) isn’t just less competitive – it is effectively invisible in the global market.

A Step in the Right Direction, but Only a Step

We genuinely welcome the UK Government’s recently announced £30 million Games Growth Package. This investment is a vital vote of confidence in the sector. However, it is important to note that this funding addresses only one of the five key recommendations within “Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan“- specifically, the need for a dedicated IP fund.

While funding for new games is essential, it does not address the fundamental need for strategic recognition, knowledgeable business support, education & skills alignment, or the industrialisation of games technologies and techniques. Rather than simply funding more products, we must build the infrastructure that allows our talent to thrive across the entire economy.

Introducing Project Pathfinder

As the author of Level Up, I have argued that we must bridge the ‘Translation Gap’ between games and the wider economy. Today, the Scottish Games Network (SGN) is moving beyond advocacy into industrial delivery with the launch of Project Pathfinder.

We have formally applied for Ecosystem funding to support this initiative and are currently securing letters of support from organisations across Scotland’s other key industries, includeing: Healthcare, Energy, Fintech, Cyber, Data, Creative Industries, Space and more.

Project Pathfinder is not just another games project – it is the only approach currently active in the UK that treats games as an innovation engine for the wider economy and an integral part of the country’s digital future.

By industrialising the connection between game-native technologies, such as Real-Time 3D, simulation, visualisation, engagement and creative design with other critical industries, we are creating a blueprint for the future. Project Pathfinder is a pilot for Scotland (and the proposed National Games Innovation Centre), but it offers a scalable model for the UK as a whole.

(It also offers the opportunity for revenue outside the hit-driven consumer games market, which could potentially make the country’s game developers more investment-friendly).

What Is Project Pathfinder?

It’s simple. Project Pathfinder looks for ways to bring the country’s games ecosystem together with other industries and sectors, and explore opportunities to build connections, opportunities for collaboration and projects where ‘games’ offer an approach that is not yet present in those other sectors. The goal is for Scotland’s games companies, using their unique range of skills, to work with other organisations across the country to develop and deliver paid projects outside the consumer game market.

This does not stop game companies from working on videogames. Instead, it takes the unique skills and approach from the games world and makes them relevant to the challenges and opportunities in other key parts of our economy.

The project aims to deliver three major pieces of work:

• The MTG (More Than Games) Registry: A national digital directory allowing global organisations to find and understand the technical capabilities, skillsets and commercial benchmarks of Scottish games studios.
• The Public Sector Interactive Procurement Toolkit: A bespoke framework to help government departments, public sector bodies, local authorities and corporations understand how to procure interactive services.
• Industrial Activation Sprints: Tailored sessions, connecting game studios with industrial leaders across multiple sectors outside the games ecosystem. This could be a delegation going to a trade event, a tailored workshop to gather data from both sectors, or a dedicated business development sprint.

The Call to Action

The reality is that we simply do not need yet another ‘test-and-finish’ review, which pushes any sort of support another two years down the road. We need the infrastructure that turns our elite £151,382 GVA-per-head potential into a resilient and integrated national asset.

SGN is looking for Founding Industrial Partners to lead our first Activation Sprints. If you are a leader in a high-growth sector and you are struggling with complex data, engagement, or simulation, the games sector may have the solution.

We already have letters of support from some of the country’s leading innovation organisations, including: the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), Social Enterprise Academy (SEA), ScotlandIS, and Tech Scaler with many other organisations lining up to support the project. We’ll be sharing the letters as they are agreed and showing the appetite across Scotland’s economy for collaboration.

If your organisation is interested in exploring ways to understand and work with the games ecosystem please get in touch for an exploratory conversation.

The era of invisibility ends now. It is time to press start on the future of the UK’s interaction economy.

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

The Billion-Pound Ghost: Why Project Pathfinder is the Economic Firewall Scotland’s Games Sector Needs

Project Pathfinder: Last week, the Herald published its list of the 50 most powerful people in Scottish arts and culture. It was an impressive collection of talent – but it was also a perfect snapshot of why the interactive sector remains a ‘billion-pound ghost’ in our national policy.

Despite being one of the most successful and high-value creative industries we possess, not a single person from the games industry made the list. This invisibility was not a cultural snub; it is a systemic and ingrained risk to our economy.

The Reality Check

For the first time in 14 years, the UK games market is in retreat. Recent data from TIGA shows a sharp 4.5% fall in development jobs, with over 1,500 roles lost in a single year. We are navigating a global market that is increasingly volatile, saturated, and facing increased competition.

As I recently noted in the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Mavens discussion, government support has moved from a ‘nice-to-have’ benefit to a priority. In 2026, a region without a dedicated strategy (or Games Action Plan) isn’t just less competitive – it is effectively invisible in the global market.

A Step in the Right Direction, but Only a Step

We genuinely welcome the UK Government’s recently announced £30 million Games Growth Package. This investment is a vital vote of confidence in the sector. However, it is important to note that this funding addresses only one of the five key recommendations within “Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan“- specifically, the need for a dedicated IP fund.

While funding for new games is essential, it does not address the fundamental need for strategic recognition, knowledgeable business support, education & skills alignment, or the industrialisation of games technologies and techniques. Rather than simply funding more products, we must build the infrastructure that allows our talent to thrive across the entire economy.

Introducing Project Pathfinder

As the author of Level Up, I have argued that we must bridge the ‘Translation Gap’ between games and the wider economy. Today, the Scottish Games Network (SGN) is moving beyond advocacy into industrial delivery with the launch of Project Pathfinder.

We have formally applied for Ecosystem funding to support this initiative and are currently securing letters of support from organisations across Scotland’s other key industries, includeing: Healthcare, Energy, Fintech, Cyber, Data, Creative Industries, Space and more.

Project Pathfinder is not just another games project – it is the only approach currently active in the UK that treats games as an innovation engine for the wider economy and an integral part of the country’s digital future.

By industrialising the connection between game-native technologies, such as Real-Time 3D, simulation, visualisation, engagement and creative design with other critical industries, we are creating a blueprint for the future. Project Pathfinder is a pilot for Scotland (and the proposed National Games Innovation Centre), but it offers a scalable model for the UK as a whole.

(It also offers the opportunity for revenue outside the hit-driven consumer games market, which could potentially make the country’s game developers more investment-friendly).

What Is Project Pathfinder?

It’s simple. Project Pathfinder looks for ways to bring the country’s games ecosystem together with other industries and sectors, and explore opportunities to build connections, opportunities for collaboration and projects where ‘games’ offer an approach that is not yet present in those other sectors. The goal is for Scotland’s games companies, using their unique range of skills, to work with other organisations across the country to develop and deliver paid projects outside the consumer game market.

This does not stop game companies from working on videogames. Instead, it takes the unique skills and approach from the games world and makes them relevant to the challenges and opportunities in other key parts of our economy.

The project aims to deliver three major pieces of work:

• The MTG (More Than Games) Registry: A national digital directory allowing global organisations to find and understand the technical capabilities, skillsets and commercial benchmarks of Scottish games studios.
• The Public Sector Interactive Procurement Toolkit: A bespoke framework to help government departments, public sector bodies, local authorities and corporations understand how to procure interactive services.
• Industrial Activation Sprints: Tailored sessions, connecting game studios with industrial leaders across multiple sectors outside the games ecosystem. This could be a delegation going to a trade event, a tailored workshop to gather data from both sectors, or a dedicated business development sprint.

The Call to Action

The reality is that we simply do not need yet another ‘test-and-finish’ review, which pushes any sort of support another two years down the road. We need the infrastructure that turns our elite £151,382 GVA-per-head potential into a resilient and integrated national asset.

SGN is looking for Founding Industrial Partners to lead our first Activation Sprints. If you are a leader in a high-growth sector and you are struggling with complex data, engagement, or simulation, the games sector may have the solution.

We already have letters of support from some of the country’s leading innovation organisations, including: the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), Social Enterprise Academy (SEA), ScotlandIS, and Tech Scaler with many other organisations lining up to support the project. We’ll be sharing the letters as they are agreed and showing the appetite across Scotland’s economy for collaboration.

If your organisation is interested in exploring ways to understand and work with the games ecosystem please get in touch for an exploratory conversation.

The era of invisibility ends now. It is time to press start on the future of the UK’s interaction economy.

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

The Billion-Pound Ghost: Why Project Pathfinder is the Economic Firewall Scotland’s Games Sector Needs

Project Pathfinder: Last week, the Herald published its list of the 50 most powerful people in Scottish arts and culture. It was an impressive collection of talent – but it was also a perfect snapshot of why the interactive sector remains a ‘billion-pound ghost’ in our national policy.

Despite being one of the most successful and high-value creative industries we possess, not a single person from the games industry made the list. This invisibility was not a cultural snub; it is a systemic and ingrained risk to our economy.

The Reality Check

For the first time in 14 years, the UK games market is in retreat. Recent data from TIGA shows a sharp 4.5% fall in development jobs, with over 1,500 roles lost in a single year. We are navigating a global market that is increasingly volatile, saturated, and facing increased competition.

As I recently noted in the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Mavens discussion, government support has moved from a ‘nice-to-have’ benefit to a priority. In 2026, a region without a dedicated strategy (or Games Action Plan) isn’t just less competitive – it is effectively invisible in the global market.

A Step in the Right Direction, but Only a Step

We genuinely welcome the UK Government’s recently announced £30 million Games Growth Package. This investment is a vital vote of confidence in the sector. However, it is important to note that this funding addresses only one of the five key recommendations within “Level Up: Scotland’s Games Action Plan“- specifically, the need for a dedicated IP fund.

While funding for new games is essential, it does not address the fundamental need for strategic recognition, knowledgeable business support, education & skills alignment, or the industrialisation of games technologies and techniques. Rather than simply funding more products, we must build the infrastructure that allows our talent to thrive across the entire economy.

Introducing Project Pathfinder

As the author of Level Up, I have argued that we must bridge the ‘Translation Gap’ between games and the wider economy. Today, the Scottish Games Network (SGN) is moving beyond advocacy into industrial delivery with the launch of Project Pathfinder.

We have formally applied for Ecosystem funding to support this initiative and are currently securing letters of support from organisations across Scotland’s other key industries, includeing: Healthcare, Energy, Fintech, Cyber, Data, Creative Industries, Space and more.

Project Pathfinder is not just another games project – it is the only approach currently active in the UK that treats games as an innovation engine for the wider economy and an integral part of the country’s digital future.

By industrialising the connection between game-native technologies, such as Real-Time 3D, simulation, visualisation, engagement and creative design with other critical industries, we are creating a blueprint for the future. Project Pathfinder is a pilot for Scotland (and the proposed National Games Innovation Centre), but it offers a scalable model for the UK as a whole.

(It also offers the opportunity for revenue outside the hit-driven consumer games market, which could potentially make the country’s game developers more investment-friendly).

What Is Project Pathfinder?

It’s simple. Project Pathfinder looks for ways to bring the country’s games ecosystem together with other industries and sectors, and explore opportunities to build connections, opportunities for collaboration and projects where ‘games’ offer an approach that is not yet present in those other sectors. The goal is for Scotland’s games companies, using their unique range of skills, to work with other organisations across the country to develop and deliver paid projects outside the consumer game market.

This does not stop game companies from working on videogames. Instead, it takes the unique skills and approach from the games world and makes them relevant to the challenges and opportunities in other key parts of our economy.

The project aims to deliver three major pieces of work:

• The MTG (More Than Games) Registry: A national digital directory allowing global organisations to find and understand the technical capabilities, skillsets and commercial benchmarks of Scottish games studios.
• The Public Sector Interactive Procurement Toolkit: A bespoke framework to help government departments, public sector bodies, local authorities and corporations understand how to procure interactive services.
• Industrial Activation Sprints: Tailored sessions, connecting game studios with industrial leaders across multiple sectors outside the games ecosystem. This could be a delegation going to a trade event, a tailored workshop to gather data from both sectors, or a dedicated business development sprint.

The Call to Action

The reality is that we simply do not need yet another ‘test-and-finish’ review, which pushes any sort of support another two years down the road. We need the infrastructure that turns our elite £151,382 GVA-per-head potential into a resilient and integrated national asset.

SGN is looking for Founding Industrial Partners to lead our first Activation Sprints. If you are a leader in a high-growth sector and you are struggling with complex data, engagement, or simulation, the games sector may have the solution.

We already have letters of support from some of the country’s leading innovation organisations, including: the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), Social Enterprise Academy (SEA), ScotlandIS, and Tech Scaler with many other organisations lining up to support the project. We’ll be sharing the letters as they are agreed and showing the appetite across Scotland’s economy for collaboration.

If your organisation is interested in exploring ways to understand and work with the games ecosystem please get in touch for an exploratory conversation.

The era of invisibility ends now. It is time to press start on the future of the UK’s interaction economy.

Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

Abertay’s ‘Play For Good’ To Showcase the Power of Games at RSE Curious Festival

The transformative power of video games to address real-world challenges will be on full display this September, as Abertay University’s Applied Games Lab presents its Play for Good exhibition as part of the prestigious Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Curious festival of knowledge.

This is a significant and welcome inclusion, demonstrating the growing recognition of games as a powerful tool for social and cultural impact. The exhibition is a real-world showcase of the More Than Games philosophy, a core pillar of the work being done to build a more resilient and impactful games ecosystem in Scotland.

This is the second major games-focused event to be included in the festival, joining the ‘Unreal Pasts, Playful Presents’ panel discussion, which also explores the cultural impact of our medium.

The interactive exhibition will feature a range of innovative projects developed by artists, experimental game makers, and experience designers from the Abertay Game Lab. These are not traditional entertainment products, but digital and physical artefacts designed to tackle challenges in health, wellbeing, and social inclusion.

Projects on display at Play For Good, include:

• Virtual reality games used in rehabilitation and live performance.
• A tabletop game designed to explore themes of social inequality.
• Playful engagements with club culture and nature.
• A project using game development for digital youth inclusion.
• An experience that uses a bike as a game controller.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the wider Scottish games community, policymakers, and the public to see firsthand how the skills and technologies from our industry are being applied to create positive change. It’s a chance to move beyond the conversation and see tangible examples of applied games in action.

The Scottish Games Network strongly encourages everyone to visit this free, drop-in exhibition to support the incredible work being done at Abertay and to see the future of the More Than Games ecosystem.

Event Details:

• What: Play for Good (Exhibition)
• When: Saturday 6 September – Saturday 14 September 2025
• Where: The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22-26 George Street, Edinburgh
• Cost: Free, drop-in (but booking is essential)

For more information on the exhibition and the full ‘Curious’ festival programme, please visit the Royal Society of Edinburgh website.

Photo by lhon karwan on Unsplash

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