The Gaming Industry is Recovering but Would Flourish Further with Digital Skills Investment
Through collaboration and making jobs accessible for all, the gaming sector can become a cornerstone of our economy and provide stable, prosperous careers for today’s and tomorrow’s workforce. This is the moment to empower a diverse generation of innovators, ensuring that the UK not only remains a powerhouse in gaming, but also leads the charge into an exciting digital future.
Opportunities and the Gaming Industry
The gaming industry saw a huge boost during the COVID-19 pandemic with at-home pastimes taking on new importance and, despite plateauing in the last year, its contribution to the UK’s GDP jumped from £2.9 billion in 2021 to a healthy £3.68 billion in 2023.
Although it’s unlikely the industry will jump to pandemic levels of growth any time soon, the market will bounce back. Gaming has the potential to become a central component of the new economy, but its benefits go beyond simply contributing to economic success.
The rise of esports, game development, and gamification in fields such as marketing, education, and training has created a robust job market for individuals with expertise in gaming mechanics, design, and analytics.
The government has also recognised that these skills are beneficial in spurring on economic growth. At the Labour Party conference, Defence Secretary John Healey MP urged gamers to sign up to the military, announcing they would be fast-tracked into the country’s online defence forces to help thwart threats from overseas as part of a new “cyber track” recruitment drive.
The Role of Government and Skills England
Furthermore, Labour’s Skills England policy, which aims to bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions, has the potential to harness the power of gaming.
The combination of both longer and sharper, shorter training programmes offered through Skills England, provides flexible learning in diverse areas and addresses not just the skills gaps of today but those of the next decade, linked to newer, emerging industries.
This is good news for gaming, as an industry still in its relevant infancy, where the needs for employers and candidates’ capabilities often fail to align.
A Skills Boost is key to seeing the Gaming Industry recover
The success of the gaming sector is heavily reliant on a diverse set of digital competencies. In the early stages of game development, programmers write code to create the core mechanics of a game, such as movement, collision detection and AI behaviour. Coding is used to develop and optimise the graphics rendering pipeline, ensuring high-quality visuals and efficient performance, leading to richer, more engaging experiences for the end consumer.
Data analytics and AI tools allow developers to monitor and understand player behaviour, optimising game design while emerging technologies, such as AI, help create personalised gaming experiences. In creative aspects such as art and design, proficiency in digital art software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator is essential. Furthermore, game marketing relies heavily on digital skills in social media, SEO, and content marketing.
The outtake is that a range of skills across the digital sphere are needed to really unlock the industry’s potential. One way to achieve this would be to align Skills England with work already underway to ensure industries, including gaming, can thrive and pair employers with existing learning platforms such as the Institute of Coding.
A thriving Gaming Industry needs people with Digital Skills
Looking forward, it’s clear that the path to a flourishing gaming industry lies in robust investment in digital skills. The potential for growth is immense, but realising it requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders—government, educational institutions, charities, and industry leaders alike.
The gaming industry has rapidly evolved into one of the most dynamic and influential sectors of the global economy, merging entertainment, technology, and art in unprecedented ways. As gaming continues to grow, it not only captivates millions of players worldwide but also demands a diverse range of digital skills.
Professor Rachid Hourizi MBE is Director of the Institute of Coding, which is led by the University of Bath.
