A new report from UKIE, the trade body for the UK’s games and interactive entertainment industry, and OKRE, an entertainment charity, has concluded that the sector is “fundamentally misunderstood” by policymakers and the public. The report calls for a unified research framework to better capture the industry’s economic and social contributions.
The findings were released on Tuesday. The report argues that inconsistent data collection and a lack of a shared definition for the games industry have led to its value being underestimated. UKIE and OKRE state that this misunderstanding prevents the sector from receiving appropriate policy support and investment.
Report details and core findings
The report, titled “Understanding the UK games industry,” is based on consultations with industry leaders, academics, and government officials. It identifies a critical problem: existing research often relies on narrow metrics, such as retail sales figures, which fail to account for the broader ecosystem including development, publishing, esports, and education.
UKIE CEO Nick Poole said in a statement that the games industry is “one of the UK’s most dynamic and fastest growing sectors.” He added: “But it is fundamentally misunderstood. This has real world consequences when it comes to investment, skills policy, and international trade.”
OKRE’s head of research, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, said the report aims to “build a bridge between the games industry and the wider research community.” The framework proposed by UKIE and OKRE would establish standard definitions and metrics for measuring the industry’s size, employment, and societal impact.
Proposed framework and next steps
The unified research framework is designed to be adopted by government departments, academic institutions, and private sector analysts. It would create a single source of truth for data on the UK games sector, which UKIE estimates contributes over GBP 2.8 billion to the UK economy annually.
The report recommends that the UK government formally recognise games as a distinct creative industry category. It also calls for better integration of games research into national statistical surveys.
Industry stakeholders have previously struggled to present a cohesive picture due to fragmented data from different sources. For example, employment figures can vary wildly depending on whether freelancers, contractors, or related service workers are included. The new framework would standardise these categories.
Broader implications for the sector
The report notes that the UK games industry employs over 76,000 people directly, with many more in ancillary roles. However, outdated perceptions often portray the sector as purely entertainment, downplaying its growing roles in healthcare, education, and corporate training, a field known as serious games or applied games.
UKIE and OKRE hope the framework will also help measure the social value of games, including their role in improving mental health, fostering community, and developing digital skills. The report includes case studies of games used for therapeutic purposes and in classroom settings.
The framework is now open for public consultation. UKIE and OKRE will collect feedback from industry bodies, researchers, and government agencies over the next three months. The final version is expected to be published in early 2025.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
