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

Last week, I had the pleasure of working with Children’s Capital of Culture in Rotherham for an amazing project — the 8-Bit Jam!

We introduced children to the magic of making music using vintage 8-bit video game machines, transforming classic technology into creative musical instruments. It was inspiring to see how curiosity and play can come together to create something truly unique.

A huge thank you to Rotherham and the entire team for letting me be part of this incredible initiative! 💡✨

#ccoc #childrenscapitalofculture #ccocfestivalyear #nationalvideogamemuseum #nvm #pluginandplay #PIAP #pluginandplay2025 #rotherham #rotherhamgames #rotherhamgaming #8bitjam #retrogaming #commodore64 #vintagecomputing

Step into a retro-futuristic playground where video game consoles and home computers from the 1980s are turned into real-time instruments! ⌨🎶

In this unique jam session, take control of Commodore 64s, Amiga 1200s, Game Boys, Famicoms, NES consoles and more… 🤯

Part performance, part workshop, this is a chance to discover how the bleeps and bloops of early gaming can become beats, melodies and rhythms.

No musical training required — just curiosity, creativity and a love of play!

📍 All Saints Square
📅 Friday 31st October
⏰ 10am - 4pm
🎟 FREE

To find out more and to sign up, please head to Children's Capital of Culture's website: www.childrenscapitalofculture.co.uk/homepage/70/plug-in-and-play

#ccoc #childrenscapitalofculture #ccocfestivalyear #nationalvideogamemuseum #nvm #pluginandplay #PIAP #pluginandplay2025 #rotherham #rotherhamgames #rotherhamgaming #8bitjam #retrogaming

Scottish Games Network Founder Joins National Videogame Museum As New Trustee

The National Videogame Museum (NVM) has announced a roster of new Trustees joining the Board of its governing charity, The British Games Institute (BGI), including Brian Baglow – the founder of the Scottish Games Network and Scottish Games Week.

With a dynamic blend of cross-sector expertise, the appointments come at a pivotal moment for the charity as it accelerates its evolution as a museum and shifts focus towards greater national impact.

The new appointments represent experts from culture, visitor attractions, videogames, fundraising, and marketing. The influx of new Trustees will join the Board in two phases as previous tenures end. These strategic additions will bolster the Museum’s governance while helping the NVM meet its ambitious goals for the future.

Under the leadership of Co-CEOs Cat Powell and John O’Shea since 2022, the NVM has done significant work consolidating the collection, developing exhibitions and enriching experience for audiences and researchers and, this spring, the Charity is on track to submit for Arts Council England’s National Museum Accreditation.

As the UK’s only museum dedicated to the history, social and cultural impact of videogames, the NVM is positioned at the forefront of preserving the Nation’s videogames heritage. With a mission statement asserting that videogames are for everyone, the Museum continues to evolve, ensuring gaming culture and its preservation is relevant and accessible to all.

New Trustees Announced:

Beginning in March 2025, the NVM will welcome the first phase of new trustees:

• David Barrie (founder and CEO of Game Academy)
• Joe Chetcuti (Creative Director at Creative Assembly)
• Emma Cooper (Creative Industries Knowledge Transfer Manager at Innovate UK)
• Natalie Kane (Curator of Digital Design at The V&A)
• Nick Poole (Chief Executive of UKIE)

With extensive experience in game development, cultural institutions, brand management and technological innovation, these trustees will play a key role in guiding the Museum as it expands its National profile and strengthens how its mission to highlight videogames culture, interfaces with audiences and the wider sector.

The next phase of appointments will follow in November 2025:

• Brian Baglow (Founder of Scottish Games Week)
• John Booth (Senior Director at Sony Interactive Entertainment)
• Emily Britt (Senior Communications Manager at Sharkmob)
• Jess Gaskell (Director of PMO at Sumo Digital)

Their expertise from leading and working with companies in the games industry and sector across the UK and Europe will ensure the Museum’s continued relevance and its ability to build strategic plans that shape the future of videogames preservation and education.

The new Board of the National Videogame Museum, based in Sheffield, will celebrate the Museum’s presence in the North and enhance the understanding of its communities and their needs while bringing a national profile to the Charity’s innovative work.

Claire Boissiere, Chair of the Board of Trustees at the NVM, said:

We are honoured to welcome our new Trustees to the Board. Their extensive experience will be invaluable as we embark on an exciting new chapter in the National Videogame Museum’s journey, expanding our national presence and advancing our mission. We are excited to see how their ideas and insights will help shape our future.

We also want to share our heartfelt thanks to the Trustees stepping down at this time. Their dedication, guidance, and leadership have played a huge role in shaping the Museum’s success. Their impact will continue to inspire us, and we are deeply grateful for the time, energy, and passion they have given to the Museum.

Brian Baglow, said:

I am delighted and honoured to become a trustee of the British Games Institute and the National Videogame museum alongside such an incredible range of experts, leaders and innovators.

The NVM is a phenomenal asset in the UK’s cultural appreciation of games. Its work in preserving and providing access to games is invaluable and I believe it can play an even greater role in the the appreciation of the growing cultural and social impact of games beyond the consumer market.

I’m looking forward to helping the organisation grow, thrive and play a major role in the ongoing evolution of the games ecosystem across the whole of the United Kingdom.”

#BGI #BritishGameInstitute #games #NationalVideogameMuseum #NVM #Sheffield #Trustees #uk

The National Videogame Museum in Sheffield.

#Sheffield #Videogames #NationalVideogameMuseum #BorisTietze