TIGA, the trade association representing the UK video games industry, has today called on the Government to monitor and measure productivity within the UK video games sector and the wider creative industries.
Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made by TIGA, it was revealed that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport do not produce formal estimates on the level of productivity within the UK video games industry.
Productivity is measured by dividing how much an economy produces (GDP) by the number of hours being worked.[1] The Office for National Statistics produces productivity measures for the whole economy and a range of industries; productivity in the public sector; and international comparisons of productivity across the G7 nations. In 2016, the UK was ranked as the fifth most productive economy out of the G7, 16% below the average of the rest of the G7.[2]
Dr Richard Wilson OBE, TIGA CEO said:
“The UK video games industry is a success story. The UK video games sector is the largest in Europe, contributing £1.8 billion towards the UK’s GDP in the year to November 2018.[3] Following the industry’s success, it is now important that the Government encourages the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to produce and monitor accurate productivity measures for our industry, as well as the wider creative sector. The ONS is best placed to provide authoritative and impartial analysis. The ONS should acquire productivity data on the video and creative industries in a business friendly manner, keeping regulatory requirements to a minimum.
“If we can monitor our productivity performance by subsector, we will be in a better position to compare our performance over time. A subsector analysis can additionally be compared with subsectors in other countries and enable the UK to identify which areas of the economy we need to focus our productivity efforts upon.”
[1] ONS, Productivity gap narrows, 10 December 2018, link
[2] House of Commons, Productivity: Key Economic Indicators, 19 February 2018, link
[3] The findings come from TIGA’s definitive forthcoming annual report into the state and health of the UK video games industry Making Games in the UK Today (TIGA, 2019) which is based on an extensive survey of UK games businesses, with analysis by Games Investor Consulting.