Investing in Our History: Why the National Videogames Museum Needs the Games Ecosystem Now

As many of you know, I recently joined the board of the British Games Institute (BGI), the charity that runs the National Videogames Museum (NVM). Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to explore the incredible work they do and, crucially, the challenges they face: how to fund an ambitious, national cultural mission in a sector that often focuses purely on commercial metrics and the enormous bottom line of the consumer market.

The Games Industry’s Cultural Anchor

For years, the Scottish Games Network has championed the ‘More Than Games’ philosophy, arguing that our industry’s value extends far beyond its billions in GVA. The NVM is the ultimate, physical expression of that philosophy.

It is where game history is preserved, where the public, politicians, and the media come to understand that games are culture, art, and essential social history. In 2025 alone, the NVM inspired over 2,500 school children and engaged over 2,000 people from underrepresented communities through outreach.

The museum is a vital tool for:

If we don’t fund the institutions that validate us, who will?

From Success Story to Sustained Support: The Funding Challenge

The games industry is a spectacular commercial success. However, the NVM receives no core funding. Every donation, ticket sale, and sponsor is what keeps the doors open and the mission alive.

This is the challenge we must meet together. Your support directly funds three key areas of core work:

• Education + Skills: Ensuring that Learning is our Superpower – funding workshops and activities that inspire young minds to dream, design, and create.
• Participation + Access: Centring People in this Story – breaking down barriers to access and championing diversity and representation in games and wider culture.
• Preservation + Expertise: Pioneering Knowledge in our Field – preserving and celebrating videogame heritage for future generations.

This Christmas, the NVM has a collective target of £30,000 to sustain its ambitious mission into 2026. Every contribution helps. A small donation – the price of a new game, or just £9 – can help subsidise a child’s school visit or provide learning materials for a workshop.

Donate Now

• Individual Giving (£9-£100 or other)
• Corporate Giving (£250-upwards)

We ask everyone in the Scottish games ecosystem – from individual developers and freelancers to studio leaders and educators – to consider a donation to the NVM. You will be in good company; past partners and supporters include industry leaders like PlayStation, BAFTA, Sumo, Epic, Rebellion, and even Rockstar.

Think of your contribution not as a charitable gift, but as an investment in the industry’s central narrative. Help us ensure that the history of games is secured, celebrated, and used to inspire the future.

Please consider making a donation today to the National Videogames Museum.

Individual Giving

https://thenvm.org/support-us/

Corporate Giving

https://thenvm.org/corporate-giving/

#BGI #culture #donations #games #museum #NationalVideogameMuseum #uk

More Than a Game: On Joining the British Games Institute

Last week, I was formally onboarded as a new trustee of the British Games Institute (BGI), the incredible organisation that runs the National Videogames Museum. After taking part in my first board meeting, I’ve been reflecting on why this work is so important – and why it cuts to the very heart of the challenges and opportunities facing our entire industry.

For years, we’ve all heard the same statistics. We know the games industry is commercially massive, dwarfing film and music combined. We are, by any financial metric, a spectacular success story.

But for all our commercial confidence, we have been shamefully quiet when it comes to our cultural confidence. As an industry, we are incredibly adept at talking about what we make and how much it sells for, but we are often silent, or even dismissive, on the subject of why it matters.

We lack cultural leadership. We have very few public-facing institutions that look beyond that huge financial bottom line and champion the deeper, transformative potential of play.

The Role of The British Games Institute

This is precisely why the BGI and the National Videogames Museum are so vital. They are one of the very few organisations in the UK dedicated to preserving, cataloguing, and interrogating games as a cultural form. They are the epitome of the ‘More Than Games’ philosophy – a permanent, physical declaration that games are more than just ‘digital toys’ suitable only for children, or financially lucrative products; they are artistic expressions, social platforms, and powerful tools for learning and connection.

In an industry defined by rapid technological change and relentless forward momentum, we need an institution that has the mandate to look back, to hold onto our history, and to ask critical questions about our impact.

But for me, this new role isn’t just about preservation. That work is essential, but it is the foundation, not the final structure. The true opportunity is to help build upon that foundation. It’s about looking beyond just cataloguing the past and helping to position Britain as a global leader in thinking about games differently.

This is a platform to champion the role of games in our wider cultural and social life. It’s about moving from simply preserving our history to actively using our medium’s power to shape the future – in education, in healthcare, in public policy, and in our national discourse.

I am incredibly proud and excited to join the BGI board and to contribute to this mission. It is work that aligns perfectly with everything we are trying to build here in Scotland – a mature, confident, and culturally-aware games ecosystem that understands its own value far beyond the balance sheet.

#bgi #britishGamesInstitute #games #nationalVideogameMuseum #nvm #sheffield #uk

ICAO: 407E7B
Flt: TOM815 #TUIAIRWAYS #BGI - #BHX
First seen: 2025-10-19 17:00:06 CEST
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Min Dist: 21.27 km

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ICAO: 407D4C
Flt: TOM815 #TUIAIRWAYS #BGI - #BHX
First seen: 2025-08-24 17:01:44 CEST
Min Alt: 11569 m AGL
Min Dist: 6.69 km

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#adsb #aboveFRL #EHLW

ICAO: 407FAC
Flt: TOM815 #TUIAIRWAYS #BGI - #BHX
First seen: 2025-08-10 16:49:37 CEST
Min Alt: 10960 m AGL
Min Dist: 6.72 km

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#adsb #aboveFRL #EHLW

Es scheint inzwischen hochriskant zu sein, die #Cloud-Dienste und #Office-Anwendungen von #Microsoft zu nutzen.

Microsoft hat zentrale Dienste für chinesische Nutzer wie die Sun-Yat-sen-Universität und das Genomforschungsunternehmen #BGI eingestellt.

Weiterhin blockieren US-Sanktionen gegen den Chefankläger des #IStGH dessen Zugriff auf E-Mails und Konten, lähmen laufende Ermittlungen und verunsichern Partnerorganisationen.

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3305889/microsoft-abruptly-cuts-services-chinese-university-genomics-firm

https://www.golem.de/news/microsoft-sperrt-e-mail-konto-us-sanktionen-behindern-arbeit-des-istgh-2505-196241.html