Into Games Secures Amazon Funding for Dundee ‘Waypoint’ Programme
The Scottish Games Network wholeheartedly welcomes the announcement that national charity Into Games has secured significant funding, with support from Amazon, to launch Waypoint programme, a new project dedicated to supporting young people from working-class and disadvantaged backgrounds into careers in the games industry in Dundee and Tayside.
This is a vital, targeted initiative. The Waypoint programme is designed to tackle the systemic barriers to entry by providing young people with the essential experience, skills, and industry connections needed to access the sector. By focusing on communities that are too often overlooked, this programme is set to foster a more diverse and equitable talent pool for Scotland’s digital future.
A Necessary and Welcome Investment
The investment by Amazon and the dedicated work of the Into Games team address a crucial need in the ecosystem: creating pathways that do not rely on existing professional networks or financial privilege. We recognise and applaud the commitment to tackling social mobility challenges head-on.
However, the rapid growth and complexity of the Scottish games ecosystem now offers every new initiative, especially those with funding, the opportunity to act as a multiplier, and link with some of the other great work around games happening across Scotland.
The Opportunity for a Unified Strategy
While the launch of Waypoint is a huge win for Dundee, it lands within an increasingly collaborative national framework, offering new opportunities for synergy. It runs alongside established national programmes and new ecosystem initiatives, including:
- The Games Action Plan: Providing the overarching national strategy to coordinate all talent and economic growth efforts – and build a national educational framework for games.
- National Educational Support: The existing work of Education Scotland and Skills Development Scotland (SDS), which runs the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) programme, provides a foundational structure for engaging young people.
- Ecosystem Initiatives: SGN’s Hello World! Programme (pre-university entrepreneurship), the Scottish Games Education Symposium (SGEN/SGN), the SGDA Incubator, and GameSpace’s Levelling-Up Programme (company formation and growth).
Offering a Path to Partnership
Historically, many significant initiatives and events within the Scottish games sector have operated in isolation, resulting in fragmentation and missed opportunities for shared learning.
The current focus on games in Scotland offers an opportunity for collaboration between Into Games, Amazon, and established ecosystem partners – particularly the Scottish Games Education Network (SGEN), Education Scotland, SDS, DYW and more.
By aligning resources, sharing knowledge, and ensuring that the young people in the Waypoint programme can seamlessly transition into broader educational or entrepreneurial opportunities, we can ensure that this investment is not a stand-alone project, but a robust, integrated element of the national strategy.
This is an opportunity to prove that the “community-first” approach is not just a slogan, but a commitment to ensuring every single pathway into our industry is clearly defined and connected. We look forward to exploring collaboration with Into Games and Amazon to help make the Waypoint programme a resounding success.
To find out more, visit the Into Games website.
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