Video games are shaping how we engage with technology

Daniel Wood

Ukie, Co-CEO

In games, the possibilities of technology can be applied in a structured and creative way. We are facing a turning point in technological change akin to the Industrial Revolution, and video games continue to shape how we engage with technology and innovation.

Since the earliest video games were invented in the early 1950s, the world has changed in unimaginable ways. There are more people who play video games today than there were people in the entire world when these first video games were built. From cautionary tales to utopian fantasies, video games create the worlds that don’t exist yet. They feed our imaginations, creativity and innate desire to push boundaries and ask: what if?  

Artificial intelligence enhancing video games

Games have always been a space in which the possibilities of technology can be applied in a structured and creative way. Take artificial intelligence (AI), for example. It has been used in some form by the games industry since the 70s — and it’s certainly not going away.

With 3.6 billion players on the planet,
video games serve as an amazing
scaffold for the creative abilities of AI.

Since the 90s, game AI has started to employ sophisticated imitations of human neural networks to produce more immersive and creative work than ever before. Today’s AI can be used to speed up elements of game development, such as playtesting and quality assurance (QA), allowing studios to spend more time and budget on more creative or sophisticated tasks. AI can even complement human moderation in online games, helping to manage fast-growing user bases. With 3.6 billion players on the planet, video games serve as an amazing scaffold for the creative abilities of AI.

New, digital revolution in UK video games industry

In recent years, the games industry has contributed over £5 billion to the UK economy, supporting 75,000 jobs across the supply chain, all over the UK. In 2022, consumer spending hit £7.1 billion — it’s clear that the UK loves to play video games.

As we look to the future and the big challenges we face, not only as a sector but as a society, developing the next generation of era-defining games can help — from learning how to implement technology in a structured and creative way to training the next generation in digital skills, today. The UK video games industry is exciting and fast-growing. The more we nurture it, the greater our chance of creating better social, cultural and economic futures.