Scottish Games Week 2023

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