#morethangames — Public Fediverse posts

Develop 2026 – Building The Interaction Economy

Develop: Brighton in a baking July is less of a conference and more of a multi-day endurance sport with more than games on offer.

Having navigated this particular marathon for around twenty years now, I arrived prepared. The survival toolkit this year was simple: a ludicrous amount of Factor 50, a variety of killer shirts (shout out to BLAKE MILL), and a solid pair of noise-cancelling headphones to survive the World Cup semi-final drama (commiserations to England, congratulations to Argentina).

It was hot, it was packed, and as always, the real energy of the week wasn’t on the weirdly quiet expo floor – it was in the incredible calendar of fringe events and dedicated meetings that now surround the event.

A genuine highlight for me was the UK Regional Hubs Meetup, organised by Stephen Hey. Hearing about the sheer scale of activity and success across different areas was incredibly inspiring. There is a powerful sense of momentum, creativity and purpose in local games right now, and the opportunity for genuine, grassroots collaboration and growth across our nations and regions is immense. When we learn from & support each other directly, we move the entire sector forward. More grassroots collaboration, please.

That collaborative spirit was perfectly matched by a genuinely useful and positive milestone: the release of the UK Game Intelligence Database. Having an open, accessible dataset for the whole of the UK provides an incredible tool for actual strategic planning and ecosystem mapping.

The value of such data became even clearer during the countless conversations I had with industry folks around education and skills. The volume of these discussions really emphasised that the need for a more coordinated, sector-wide approach to planning and strategy is very real. On that specific front, we have major news coming from Scotland in the near future – watch this space.

GamesIndustry.biz did a fantastic summary of the event as a whole, noting the sense of optimism and purpose across the week, as the sector really looks beyond the ongoing chaos and volatility and deals directly with the reality of the new market, rather than trying to ride it out – or wait for someone else to fix things. I also have to say a sincere thank you to the writer (the excellent Lewis Packwood) for mentioning my More Than Games session.

Beyond the regional networks, my focus for the week remained on the shifting dynamics of the global marketplace. I had some fantastic meetings with international networks, commercial studios, and teams like Creative Wales / Welsh Government who are looking ahead at how to truly leverage interactive media and build more strategic support for the games ecosystem as a whole.

The conversations reinforced two things for me:

• The sheer volume of organisations outside the traditional games industry who need an expert partner to help them understand, engage with, and harness games technology.
• The urgent need for a cohesive, long-term strategic vision to navigate where the global market is actually heading.

I’ll be posting a much deeper, analytical look at that global landscape and what it means for regional ecosystems early next week.

If you are a founder, brand, government, or public entity looking for a thinking partner to help you navigate the interactive ecosystem, my door is open for premium advisory sessions starting this week.

Drop me a message, and let’s talk.

Develop 2026 – Building The Interaction Economy

Develop: Brighton in a baking July is less of a conference and more of a multi-day endurance sport with more than games on offer.

Having navigated this particular marathon for around twenty years now, I arrived prepared. The survival toolkit this year was simple: a ludicrous amount of Factor 50, a variety of killer shirts (shout out to BLAKE MILL), and a solid pair of noise-cancelling headphones to survive the World Cup semi-final drama (commiserations to England, congratulations to Argentina).

It was hot, it was packed, and as always, the real energy of the week wasn’t on the weirdly quiet expo floor – it was in the incredible calendar of fringe events and dedicated meetings that now surround the event.

A genuine highlight for me was the UK Regional Hubs Meetup, organised by Stephen Hey. Hearing about the sheer scale of activity and success across different areas was incredibly inspiring. There is a powerful sense of momentum, creativity and purpose in local games right now, and the opportunity for genuine, grassroots collaboration and growth across our nations and regions is immense. When we learn from & support each other directly, we move the entire sector forward. More grassroots collaboration, please.

That collaborative spirit was perfectly matched by a genuinely useful and positive milestone: the release of the UK Game Intelligence Database. Having an open, accessible dataset for the whole of the UK provides an incredible tool for actual strategic planning and ecosystem mapping.

The value of such data became even clearer during the countless conversations I had with industry folks around education and skills. The volume of these discussions really emphasised that the need for a more coordinated, sector-wide approach to planning and strategy is very real. On that specific front, we have major news coming from Scotland in the near future – watch this space.

Beyond the regional networks, my focus for the week remained on the shifting dynamics of the global marketplace. I had some fantastic meetings with international networks, commercial studios, and teams like Creative Wales / Welsh Government who are looking ahead at how to truly leverage interactive media and build more strategic support for the games ecosystem as a whole.

The conversations reinforced two things for me:

• The sheer volume of organisations outside the traditional games industry who need an expert partner to help them understand, engage with, and harness games technology.
• The urgent need for a cohesive, long-term strategic vision to navigate where the global market is actually heading.

I’ll be posting a much deeper, analytical look at that global landscape and what it means for regional ecosystems early next week.

If you are a founder, brand, government, or public entity looking for a thinking partner to help you navigate the interactive ecosystem, my door is open for premium advisory sessions starting this week.

Drop me a message, and let’s talk.

Connecting the Ecosystem: Barclays Eagle Labs to Host Creative Industries Meet-Up in Glasgow Next Week

Creative businesses and games developers from across Scotland are being invited to connect, collaborate, and break down industry silos at a new cross-sector Media and Creative Meet Up networking event in Glasgow next week.

Hosted by Barclays Eagle Labs, the Media and Creative Meet Up will take place on Thursday, June 25, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Eagle Labs Glasgow.

The gathering follows a series of creative roundtables hosted by Barclays in late 2025 to gather insights from across the industry. The overarching feedback from those sessions was clear: creative businesses want more tangible opportunities to connect with peers in adjacent subsectors, share common challenges, and explore collaborative projects.

Breaking Down Silos: A ‘More Than Games’ Approach

For the games sector, this event represents an ideal opportunity to engage with the wider creative economy.

While consumer entertainment remains the bedrock of the industry, games technology, real-time 3D tools, and interactive design are increasingly finding critical applications in adjacent fields – a concept championed by the Scottish Games Network’s own More Than Games initiative. Whether exploring applications in broadcast, heritage, education, or experiential media, crossing paths with professionals outside the immediate games sector is where new pipelines and innovations are sparked.

Event Details & Structure

The evening is designed to be simple, direct, and focused on genuine networking rather than rigid presentations. It offers a dedicated space to swap insights, discuss shared business challenges, and grow networks with peers you might not normally encounter in day-to-day operations.

• Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026.
• Time: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
• Location: Barclays Eagle Labs, Glasgow.
• Focus: Cross-sector networking, peer-to-peer collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

How to Register

The event is free to attend, but registration is essential to secure a spot.

If you are looking to expand your network beyond the traditional boundaries of the games industry and discover new collaborative opportunities within Scotland’s broader creative landscape, you can register for the event via the official EventBrite listing.

Connecting the Ecosystem: Barclays Eagle Labs to Host Creative Industries Meet-Up in Glasgow Next Week

Creative businesses and games developers from across Scotland are being invited to connect, collaborate, and break down industry silos at a new cross-sector Media and Creative Meet Up networking event in Glasgow next week.

Hosted by Barclays Eagle Labs, the Media and Creative Meet Up will take place on Thursday, June 25, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Eagle Labs Glasgow.

The gathering follows a series of creative roundtables hosted by Barclays in late 2025 to gather insights from across the industry. The overarching feedback from those sessions was clear: creative businesses want more tangible opportunities to connect with peers in adjacent subsectors, share common challenges, and explore collaborative projects.

Breaking Down Silos: A ‘More Than Games’ Approach

For the games sector, this event represents an ideal opportunity to engage with the wider creative economy.

While consumer entertainment remains the bedrock of the industry, games technology, real-time 3D tools, and interactive design are increasingly finding critical applications in adjacent fields – a concept championed by the Scottish Games Network’s own More Than Games initiative. Whether exploring applications in broadcast, heritage, education, or experiential media, crossing paths with professionals outside the immediate games sector is where new pipelines and innovations are sparked.

Event Details & Structure

The evening is designed to be simple, direct, and focused on genuine networking rather than rigid presentations. It offers a dedicated space to swap insights, discuss shared business challenges, and grow networks with peers you might not normally encounter in day-to-day operations.

• Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026.
• Time: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
• Location: Barclays Eagle Labs, Glasgow.
• Focus: Cross-sector networking, peer-to-peer collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

How to Register

The event is free to attend, but registration is essential to secure a spot.

If you are looking to expand your network beyond the traditional boundaries of the games industry and discover new collaborative opportunities within Scotland’s broader creative landscape, you can register for the event via the official EventBrite listing.

Connecting the Ecosystem: Barclays Eagle Labs to Host Creative Industries Meet-Up in Glasgow Next Week

Creative businesses and games developers from across Scotland are being invited to connect, collaborate, and break down industry silos at a new cross-sector Media and Creative Meet Up networking event in Glasgow next week.

Hosted by Barclays Eagle Labs, the Media and Creative Meet Up will take place on Thursday, June 25, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Eagle Labs Glasgow.

The gathering follows a series of creative roundtables hosted by Barclays in late 2025 to gather insights from across the industry. The overarching feedback from those sessions was clear: creative businesses want more tangible opportunities to connect with peers in adjacent subsectors, share common challenges, and explore collaborative projects.

Breaking Down Silos: A ‘More Than Games’ Approach

For the games sector, this event represents an ideal opportunity to engage with the wider creative economy.

While consumer entertainment remains the bedrock of the industry, games technology, real-time 3D tools, and interactive design are increasingly finding critical applications in adjacent fields – a concept championed by the Scottish Games Network’s own More Than Games initiative. Whether exploring applications in broadcast, heritage, education, or experiential media, crossing paths with professionals outside the immediate games sector is where new pipelines and innovations are sparked.

Event Details & Structure

The evening is designed to be simple, direct, and focused on genuine networking rather than rigid presentations. It offers a dedicated space to swap insights, discuss shared business challenges, and grow networks with peers you might not normally encounter in day-to-day operations.

• Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026.
• Time: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
• Location: Barclays Eagle Labs, Glasgow.
• Focus: Cross-sector networking, peer-to-peer collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

How to Register

The event is free to attend, but registration is essential to secure a spot.

If you are looking to expand your network beyond the traditional boundaries of the games industry and discover new collaborative opportunities within Scotland’s broader creative landscape, you can register for the event via the official EventBrite listing.

Connecting the Ecosystem: Barclays Eagle Labs to Host Creative Industries Meet-Up in Glasgow Next Week

Creative businesses and games developers from across Scotland are being invited to connect, collaborate, and break down industry silos at a new cross-sector Media and Creative Meet Up networking event in Glasgow next week.

Hosted by Barclays Eagle Labs, the Media and Creative Meet Up will take place on Thursday, June 25, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Eagle Labs Glasgow.

The gathering follows a series of creative roundtables hosted by Barclays in late 2025 to gather insights from across the industry. The overarching feedback from those sessions was clear: creative businesses want more tangible opportunities to connect with peers in adjacent subsectors, share common challenges, and explore collaborative projects.

Breaking Down Silos: A ‘More Than Games’ Approach

For the games sector, this event represents an ideal opportunity to engage with the wider creative economy.

While consumer entertainment remains the bedrock of the industry, games technology, real-time 3D tools, and interactive design are increasingly finding critical applications in adjacent fields – a concept championed by the Scottish Games Network’s own More Than Games initiative. Whether exploring applications in broadcast, heritage, education, or experiential media, crossing paths with professionals outside the immediate games sector is where new pipelines and innovations are sparked.

Event Details & Structure

The evening is designed to be simple, direct, and focused on genuine networking rather than rigid presentations. It offers a dedicated space to swap insights, discuss shared business challenges, and grow networks with peers you might not normally encounter in day-to-day operations.

• Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026.
• Time: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
• Location: Barclays Eagle Labs, Glasgow.
• Focus: Cross-sector networking, peer-to-peer collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

How to Register

The event is free to attend, but registration is essential to secure a spot.

If you are looking to expand your network beyond the traditional boundaries of the games industry and discover new collaborative opportunities within Scotland’s broader creative landscape, you can register for the event via the official EventBrite listing.

Connecting the Ecosystem: Barclays Eagle Labs to Host Creative Industries Meet-Up in Glasgow Next Week

Creative businesses and games developers from across Scotland are being invited to connect, collaborate, and break down industry silos at a new cross-sector Media and Creative Meet Up networking event in Glasgow next week.

Hosted by Barclays Eagle Labs, the Media and Creative Meet Up will take place on Thursday, June 25, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Eagle Labs Glasgow.

The gathering follows a series of creative roundtables hosted by Barclays in late 2025 to gather insights from across the industry. The overarching feedback from those sessions was clear: creative businesses want more tangible opportunities to connect with peers in adjacent subsectors, share common challenges, and explore collaborative projects.

Breaking Down Silos: A ‘More Than Games’ Approach

For the games sector, this event represents an ideal opportunity to engage with the wider creative economy.

While consumer entertainment remains the bedrock of the industry, games technology, real-time 3D tools, and interactive design are increasingly finding critical applications in adjacent fields – a concept championed by the Scottish Games Network’s own More Than Games initiative. Whether exploring applications in broadcast, heritage, education, or experiential media, crossing paths with professionals outside the immediate games sector is where new pipelines and innovations are sparked.

Event Details & Structure

The evening is designed to be simple, direct, and focused on genuine networking rather than rigid presentations. It offers a dedicated space to swap insights, discuss shared business challenges, and grow networks with peers you might not normally encounter in day-to-day operations.

• Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026.
• Time: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
• Location: Barclays Eagle Labs, Glasgow.
• Focus: Cross-sector networking, peer-to-peer collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

How to Register

The event is free to attend, but registration is essential to secure a spot.

If you are looking to expand your network beyond the traditional boundaries of the games industry and discover new collaborative opportunities within Scotland’s broader creative landscape, you can register for the event via the official EventBrite listing.

Beyond the Consumer Market: Bringing The More Than Games Message To Develop: Brighton 2026

The global games market in 2026 is more crowded, volatile, and competitive than ever before. For independent studios and established developers alike, relying solely on consumer retail success is becoming an ever-riskier strategy. That is why I am headed to Brighton this July to deliver a session on how developers can unlock entirely new, sustainable revenue streams by applying their creative and technical superpowers outside the entertainment sector and the consumer games market.

I will be speaking at Develop: Brighton on Wednesday 15 July at 3:00pm in Room 3 as part of the business track. My talk, titled More Than Games: Unlocking New Funding & Creative Opportunities Outside the Consumer Market, will lay out a practical, strategic roadmap for senior leaders and developers to diversify their portfolios and access non-traditional commercial sectors.

The £1.3 Billion Spillover Opportunity

For years, the games industry has operated within a self-imposed silo, focusing almost exclusively on selling products to players. Given the huge and constantly growing consumer market, that made perfect sense. More people playing means more games are played (well, more or less…) As long as the consumer market grew, game companies rarely had to look beyond their players, chosen genres and methodologies. It was business as usual.

But the core value of our sector is far greater than that enormous consumer bottom line. Across the UK, games technology and real-time 3D skills generate an estimated £1.3 billion (Ukie 2024) in ‘spillover’ GVA in fields like healthcare, film, education, space data, travel/tourism, advanced manufacturing, cultural heritage and more.

This is not a theoretical opportunity; it is a massive, underserved B2B and government/public market actively looking for the interactive expertise that game developers possess. From virtual-reality clinical training tools to digital twins for environmental planning, the systems we use to build and design games are the exact tools needed to solve real-world problems.

During my session, I will focus on the practical steps required to bridge the gap between these two worlds:

• Identifying Opportunities: How to pinpoint high-growth, non-consumer markets that are actively seeking real-time 3D and interactive design capabilities.
• Translating the Language: How to strip away game-development jargon and speak in a professional, mission-oriented vocabulary that builds trust with corporate and public-sector partners.
• Structuring Collaborations: How to pitch, contract, and deliver B2B projects that yield reliable, sustainable revenue without distracting from your core creative goals.
• Accessing Alternative Funding: How to position your studio’s technical skills to qualify for innovation grants, public funding, and research partnerships.

Taking the Scottish Strategy National

This presentation is the direct evolution of the work I have been doing with the Level Up Scotland Games Action Plan and our upcoming Project Pathfinder initiative. In Scotland, we have proven that the games industry is a vital national asset and a force multiplier for the wider economy. By taking this message to Brighton, my goal is to show the broader UK ecosystem how to break out of the consumer-only mindset.

We need to stop viewing our skills as locked inside a single entertainment vertical. The technical agility, systems thinking, and user-experience design found in our studios are valuable commodities. If we can learn to leverage them in other sectors, we can build more resilient, diversified businesses that are insulated from the turbulent shifts of the global retail market – and use games as a driver for the national innovation agenda.

Join Me in Brighton

Whether you are a solo developer trying to fund your passion project or a studio director looking to stabilise your monthly cash flow, this session is designed to provide you with an actionable process for business growth.

I look forward to connecting with friends, allies, and new partners in Brighton to discuss how we can collectively build a more integrated, creative-tech economy.

Session Details:

• Date: Wednesday 15 July 2026
• Time: 3:00pm – 3:45pm
• Location: Room 3, Hilton Brighton Metropole
• Track: Business

Find out more about the conference and book tickets: Develop: Brighton 2026

Beyond the Consumer Market: Bringing The More Than Games Message To Develop: Brighton 2026

The global games market in 2026 is more crowded, volatile, and competitive than ever before. For independent studios and established developers alike, relying solely on consumer retail success is becoming an ever-riskier strategy. That is why I am headed to Brighton this July to deliver a session on how developers can unlock entirely new, sustainable revenue streams by applying their creative and technical superpowers outside the entertainment sector and the consumer games market.

I will be speaking at Develop: Brighton on Wednesday 15 July at 3:00pm in Room 3 as part of the business track. My talk, titled More Than Games: Unlocking New Funding & Creative Opportunities Outside the Consumer Market, will lay out a practical, strategic roadmap for senior leaders and developers to diversify their portfolios and access non-traditional commercial sectors.

The £1.3 Billion Spillover Opportunity

For years, the games industry has operated within a self-imposed silo, focusing almost exclusively on selling products to players. Given the huge and constantly growing consumer market, that made perfect sense. More people playing means more games are played (well, more or less…) As long as the consumer market grew, game companies rarely had to look beyond their players, chosen genres and methodologies. It was business as usual.

But the core value of our sector is far greater than that enormous consumer bottom line. Across the UK, games technology and real-time 3D skills generate an estimated £1.3 billion (Ukie 2024) in ‘spillover’ GVA in fields like healthcare, film, education, space data, travel/tourism, advanced manufacturing, cultural heritage and more.

This is not a theoretical opportunity; it is a massive, underserved B2B and government/public market actively looking for the interactive expertise that game developers possess. From virtual-reality clinical training tools to digital twins for environmental planning, the systems we use to build and design games are the exact tools needed to solve real-world problems.

During my session, I will focus on the practical steps required to bridge the gap between these two worlds:

• Identifying Opportunities: How to pinpoint high-growth, non-consumer markets that are actively seeking real-time 3D and interactive design capabilities.
• Translating the Language: How to strip away game-development jargon and speak in a professional, mission-oriented vocabulary that builds trust with corporate and public-sector partners.
• Structuring Collaborations: How to pitch, contract, and deliver B2B projects that yield reliable, sustainable revenue without distracting from your core creative goals.
• Accessing Alternative Funding: How to position your studio’s technical skills to qualify for innovation grants, public funding, and research partnerships.

Taking the Scottish Strategy National

This presentation is the direct evolution of the work I have been doing with the Level Up Scotland Games Action Plan and our upcoming Project Pathfinder initiative. In Scotland, we have proven that the games industry is a vital national asset and a force multiplier for the wider economy. By taking this message to Brighton, my goal is to show the broader UK ecosystem how to break out of the consumer-only mindset.

We need to stop viewing our skills as locked inside a single entertainment vertical. The technical agility, systems thinking, and user-experience design found in our studios are valuable commodities. If we can learn to leverage them in other sectors, we can build more resilient, diversified businesses that are insulated from the turbulent shifts of the global retail market – and use games as a driver for the national innovation agenda.

Join Me in Brighton

Whether you are a solo developer trying to fund your passion project or a studio director looking to stabilise your monthly cash flow, this session is designed to provide you with an actionable process for business growth.

I look forward to connecting with friends, allies, and new partners in Brighton to discuss how we can collectively build a more integrated, creative-tech economy.

Session Details:

• Date: Wednesday 15 July 2026
• Time: 3:00pm – 3:45pm
• Location: Room 3, Hilton Brighton Metropole
• Track: Business

Find out more about the conference and book tickets: Develop: Brighton 2026

Fun Is Not A Four-Letter Word: SGN Challenges Scotland’s Creative Sector to Embrace ‘Playful Thinking’

The Scottish Games Network (SGN) today announced the ‘More Than Games: Creative Industries Innovation Summit,’ an initiative set to bridge the country’s vibrant games ecosystem with its creative, cultural, and heritage sectors.

Scheduled for November 26th, 2025, at Barclays Eagle Lab in Glasgow, this invitation-only event is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland. The 2025 edition builds upon the success of three previous events held between 2022 and 2024, which brought together the country’s games ecosystem, sectors including film, fintech, data, cyber, tech and more.

The half-day programme will bring together a curated group of leaders from games, film, TV, music, theatre, and museums. The goal is to move beyond traditional conversations and explore how the tools, technologies, and ‘playful thinking’ of the games world can offer innovative solutions to real-world challenges. Research from UKIE has shown that the application of games technology in other sectors adds £1.3 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy, a powerful addition to the core consumer market’s estimated £7 billion value.

Brian Baglow, Founder of the Scottish Games Network, said:

For too long, the games industry has operated in its own silo, and other creative sectors have been missing out on its transformative potential. This event is designed to open up that conversation. We believe that by bringing these diverse communities together in a facilitated space, we can spark new ideas, unlock new collaboration opportunities, and build a more resilient and innovative creative economy for Scotland.

The event will feature a series of ‘provocations’ from sector leaders, followed by structured facilitated workshops, collaborative problem-solving sessions, and speed networking. The objective is to produce tangible outputs, including a detailed roadmap for future cross-sector projects and partnerships.

Ashley Smith-Hammond, Creative Industries Officer at Creative Scotland, said:

We are excited to support this event, which will help build collaborative networks and spark new ideas between creatives working across disciplines. Such support is part of our commitment to championing innovation in creative practices. The ‘More Than Games’ initiative has the potential to drive significant cultural, social and economic value by helping us to support the interdisciplinary connections for creatives working across arts, technology and creative industries.

The event is the first step in the broader More Than Games initiative by the Scottish Games Network to establish a platform for the wider application of games and playful thinking to solve problems in key sectors across Scotland, with more events to be announced in the future.

If you think your organisation should be invited to participate in this event, please contact Brian directly.

The MTG: Creative Industries Innovation Summit is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

#creativeIndustries #ecosystem #fun #games #MoreThanGames #playfulThinking #scotland

The Quiet Work: An Update on the Next Chapter for Scottish Games

You may have noticed that the news feed on the Scottish Games Network has been quieter than usual over the past week.

That quiet has not been for a lack of activity. In fact, it’s been precisely the opposite.

Behind the scenes, this has been a period of intense and focused work. It’s been a week of meetings and conversations with organisations across – and around – the entire games ecosystem. It’s been about starting new dialogues, continuing long-running collaborations, and nurturing the relationships and connections necessary to build even more effectively in 2026 and beyond.

For years, I have worked to build a blueprint. Now, we, collectively, are laying the foundations for what comes next.

Part of that foundational work is recognising that as Scotland’s games ecosystem matures, it requires more specialised and focused organisations to drive it forward. The days of one organisation (and more honestly, one person) trying to be all things to all people must end if we are to be truly effective.

All of the recent changes across Scotland mark a strategic evolution. The SGDA is a dedicated voice for developers and studios – their new accelerator is a perfect example of this vital, focused work. The Scottish Games Network can now fully embrace its role as the ecosystem organisation: the connective tissue linking our brilliant developers to education, to government, to the wider creative industries, tech, screen and the rest of the world.

Part of embracing that role means evolving our own platform. To that end, another key workstream has been the upcoming restructure and redesign of the Scottish Games Network website itself. Our goal is to transform it into the central, authoritative hub for the entire ecosystem.

Back in August 2025, I asked for help building and evolving the editorial output from SGN. I was humbled when over 30 people from across the ecosystem volunteered their time and expertise to help with this project, and I want to publicly thank them – and assure them this is still happening – I… just had to get the Games Action Plan finished and ready for publication (more of which below). Together, we will build a far more comprehensive media channel that not only reports the news, but actively investigates, supports and showcases the incredible people, organisations and work being done across Scotland.

This is not a division – it is a sign of an evolving and maturing sector.

This new direction is already being delivered through the projects that have been the focus of this quiet work:

• The Games Action Plan: The completed, community-generated, national blueprint that provides the entire ecosystem with a unified, data-driven path forward.
• Hello World!: The talent pipeline, delivering on the Action Plan’s promise to inspire and cultivate the next generation of studios, developers and creators.
• More Than Games: The innovation engine, connecting the incredible skills of our industry to the wider digital and creative economy.

The quiet phase is nearly complete. Over the next few weeks, you will see a series of major announcements as the scaffolding comes down and the results of this work are revealed.

The pivotal moment will be the meeting of the Cross-Party Group on Scotland’s Games Ecosystem on Tuesday, November 18th. This will be the public forum where we, as a newly focused and aligned community, will formally present the Action Plan and begin the next exciting chapter for games in Scotland.

The work continues, and I look forward to sharing the next steps with you all in the near future.

#actionPlan #comingSoon #games #HelloWorld_ #MoreThanGames #scotland #SGF26

The Quiet Work: An Update on the Next Chapter for Scottish Games

You may have noticed that the news feed on the Scottish Games Network has been quieter than usual over the past week.

That quiet has not been for a lack of activity. In fact, it’s been precisely the opposite.

Behind the scenes, this has been a period of intense and focused work. It’s been a week of meetings and conversations with organisations across – and around – the entire games ecosystem. It’s been about starting new dialogues, continuing long-running collaborations, and nurturing the relationships and connections necessary to build even more effectively in 2026 and beyond.

For years, I have worked to build a blueprint. Now, we, collectively, are laying the foundations for what comes next.

Part of that foundational work is recognising that as Scotland’s games ecosystem matures, it requires more specialised and focused organisations to drive it forward. The days of one organisation (and more honestly, one person) trying to be all things to all people must end if we are to be truly effective.

All of the recent changes across Scotland mark a strategic evolution. The SGDA is a dedicated voice for developers and studios – their new accelerator is a perfect example of this vital, focused work. The Scottish Games Network can now fully embrace its role as the ecosystem organisation: the connective tissue linking our brilliant developers to education, to government, to the wider creative industries, tech, screen and the rest of the world.

Part of embracing that role means evolving our own platform. To that end, another key workstream has been the upcoming restructure and redesign of the Scottish Games Network website itself. Our goal is to transform it into the central, authoritative hub for the entire ecosystem.

Back in August 2025, I asked for help building and evolving the editorial output from SGN. I was humbled when over 30 people from across the ecosystem volunteered their time and expertise to help with this project, and I want to publicly thank them – and assure them this is still happening – I… just had to get the Games Action Plan finished and ready for publication (more of which below). Together, we will build a far more comprehensive media channel that not only reports the news, but actively investigates, supports and showcases the incredible people, organisations and work being done across Scotland.

This is not a division – it is a sign of an evolving and maturing sector.

This new direction is already being delivered through the projects that have been the focus of this quiet work:

• The Games Action Plan: The completed, community-generated, national blueprint that provides the entire ecosystem with a unified, data-driven path forward.
• Hello World!: The talent pipeline, delivering on the Action Plan’s promise to inspire and cultivate the next generation of studios, developers and creators.
• More Than Games: The innovation engine, connecting the incredible skills of our industry to the wider digital and creative economy.

The quiet phase is nearly complete. Over the next few weeks, you will see a series of major announcements as the scaffolding comes down and the results of this work are revealed.

The pivotal moment will be the meeting of the Cross-Party Group on Scotland’s Games Ecosystem on Tuesday, November 18th. This will be the public forum where we, as a newly focused and aligned community, will formally present the Action Plan and begin the next exciting chapter for games in Scotland.

The work continues, and I look forward to sharing the next steps with you all in the near future.

#actionPlan #comingSoon #games #HelloWorld_ #MoreThanGames #scotland #SGF26

The Quiet Work: An Update on the Next Chapter for Scottish Games

You may have noticed that the news feed on the Scottish Games Network has been quieter than usual over the past week.

That quiet has not been for a lack of activity. In fact, it’s been precisely the opposite.

Behind the scenes, this has been a period of intense and focused work. It’s been a week of meetings and conversations with organisations across – and around – the entire games ecosystem. It’s been about starting new dialogues, continuing long-running collaborations, and nurturing the relationships and connections necessary to build even more effectively in 2026 and beyond.

For years, I have worked to build a blueprint. Now, we, collectively, are laying the foundations for what comes next.

Part of that foundational work is recognising that as Scotland’s games ecosystem matures, it requires more specialised and focused organisations to drive it forward. The days of one organisation (and more honestly, one person) trying to be all things to all people must end if we are to be truly effective.

All of the recent changes across Scotland mark a strategic evolution. The SGDA is a dedicated voice for developers and studios – their new accelerator is a perfect example of this vital, focused work. The Scottish Games Network can now fully embrace its role as the ecosystem organisation: the connective tissue linking our brilliant developers to education, to government, to the wider creative industries, tech, screen and the rest of the world.

Part of embracing that role means evolving our own platform. To that end, another key workstream has been the upcoming restructure and redesign of the Scottish Games Network website itself. Our goal is to transform it into the central, authoritative hub for the entire ecosystem.

Back in August 2025, I asked for help building and evolving the editorial output from SGN. I was humbled when over 30 people from across the ecosystem volunteered their time and expertise to help with this project, and I want to publicly thank them – and assure them this is still happening – I… just had to get the Games Action Plan finished and ready for publication (more of which below). Together, we will build a far more comprehensive media channel that not only reports the news, but actively investigates, supports and showcases the incredible people, organisations and work being done across Scotland.

This is not a division – it is a sign of an evolving and maturing sector.

This new direction is already being delivered through the projects that have been the focus of this quiet work:

• The Games Action Plan: The completed, community-generated, national blueprint that provides the entire ecosystem with a unified, data-driven path forward.
• Hello World!: The talent pipeline, delivering on the Action Plan’s promise to inspire and cultivate the next generation of studios, developers and creators.
• More Than Games: The innovation engine, connecting the incredible skills of our industry to the wider digital and creative economy.

The quiet phase is nearly complete. Over the next few weeks, you will see a series of major announcements as the scaffolding comes down and the results of this work are revealed.

The pivotal moment will be the meeting of the Cross-Party Group on Scotland’s Games Ecosystem on Tuesday, November 18th. This will be the public forum where we, as a newly focused and aligned community, will formally present the Action Plan and begin the next exciting chapter for games in Scotland.

The work continues, and I look forward to sharing the next steps with you all in the near future.

#actionPlan #comingSoon #games #HelloWorld_ #MoreThanGames #scotland #SGF26

The Quiet Work: An Update on the Next Chapter for Scottish Games

You may have noticed that the news feed on the Scottish Games Network has been quieter than usual over the past week.

That quiet has not been for a lack of activity. In fact, it’s been precisely the opposite.

Behind the scenes, this has been a period of intense and focused work. It’s been a week of meetings and conversations with organisations across – and around – the entire games ecosystem. It’s been about starting new dialogues, continuing long-running collaborations, and nurturing the relationships and connections necessary to build even more effectively in 2026 and beyond.

For years, I have worked to build a blueprint. Now, we, collectively, are laying the foundations for what comes next.

Part of that foundational work is recognising that as Scotland’s games ecosystem matures, it requires more specialised and focused organisations to drive it forward. The days of one organisation (and more honestly, one person) trying to be all things to all people must end if we are to be truly effective.

All of the recent changes across Scotland mark a strategic evolution. The SGDA is a dedicated voice for developers and studios – their new accelerator is a perfect example of this vital, focused work. The Scottish Games Network can now fully embrace its role as the ecosystem organisation: the connective tissue linking our brilliant developers to education, to government, to the wider creative industries, tech, screen and the rest of the world.

Part of embracing that role means evolving our own platform. To that end, another key workstream has been the upcoming restructure and redesign of the Scottish Games Network website itself. Our goal is to transform it into the central, authoritative hub for the entire ecosystem.

Back in August 2025, I asked for help building and evolving the editorial output from SGN. I was humbled when over 30 people from across the ecosystem volunteered their time and expertise to help with this project, and I want to publicly thank them – and assure them this is still happening – I… just had to get the Games Action Plan finished and ready for publication (more of which below). Together, we will build a far more comprehensive media channel that not only reports the news, but actively investigates, supports and showcases the incredible people, organisations and work being done across Scotland.

This is not a division – it is a sign of an evolving and maturing sector.

This new direction is already being delivered through the projects that have been the focus of this quiet work:

• The Games Action Plan: The completed, community-generated, national blueprint that provides the entire ecosystem with a unified, data-driven path forward.
• Hello World!: The talent pipeline, delivering on the Action Plan’s promise to inspire and cultivate the next generation of studios, developers and creators.
• More Than Games: The innovation engine, connecting the incredible skills of our industry to the wider digital and creative economy.

The quiet phase is nearly complete. Over the next few weeks, you will see a series of major announcements as the scaffolding comes down and the results of this work are revealed.

The pivotal moment will be the meeting of the Cross-Party Group on Scotland’s Games Ecosystem on Tuesday, November 18th. This will be the public forum where we, as a newly focused and aligned community, will formally present the Action Plan and begin the next exciting chapter for games in Scotland.

The work continues, and I look forward to sharing the next steps with you all in the near future.

#actionPlan #comingSoon #games #HelloWorld_ #MoreThanGames #scotland #SGF26