Discussing cultural recognition in the games industry

Cultural recognition, and the fostering of a wider public understanding that games are a crucial art form and cultural medium, is vital. Games give players a chance to experience different cultures, express their identities and share their own human experiences and should be celebrated for this multifaceted impact.

As BAFTA’s Head of Games Luke Hebblethwaite explains: “Games are made by some of the world’s most talented people. Creating a dizzying diversity of incredible stories and experiences that explore our shared humanity, that connects us and bring us together in ways no other medium can…We [BAFTA] want everyone to see and understand games as an important an art form as any other.”

But how do we keep cutting through all the noise and ensure that even more people than ever recognise games for their cultural impact? And how do we unlock opportunities – like increased cultural funding incentives and access to untapped markets – that come with increased cultural recognition?

Here we capture what Nick Poole, CEO of Ukie, Cassia Curran, Curran Games founder and Raw Fury board member, and George Jijiashvili, senior industry analyst at Omdia, had to say when they shared their thoughts with Hebblethwaite at the 2025 Develop:Brighton conference…

In recent months a £30m Video Games growth package has been announced as part of the government’s ‘The UK’s Modern industrial Strategy’ report indicating that politicians are increasingly aware of the power games has.

Poole describes the news as “a massive moment of recognition” but urges we work together to make sure that politicians are truly understanding the industry’s unique potential. He says: “[It’s about] helping politicians to understand that the games industry is a grassroots ecosystem of creative people really fighting to make this work…

“Bit by bit helping people to understand that this is not the medium they think it is and that we’re working in the early days of discovering the capability of something that is every bit as big as film, literature, or any of the other media. I think it’s a really exciting moment but we have to educate one conversation at a time”

In his Pushing Button’s article immediately after Develop, The Guardian’s Keith Stuart drew attention to how Poole talked about the different ways games impact lives. Particularly, Poole’s comment that: “Suddenly, politicians are talking to us about the educational reach of games; the power of games for young people as a channel of self-expression; we’ve seen the first games being prescribed on the NHS as a treatment for anxiety and depression – there’s a recognition that the cultural echo of games is far greater than the economic proposition.”

In the last 20 years the games industry has undoubtedly changed and grown. Jijiashvili comments that “even just in the last 10 years thanks to smartphones all of a sudden games became democratised”.

“Anyone with a smartphone could potentially be a gamer… there are more gamers than ever before and we are really looking at expanding this audience beyond your core console and pc gamers as it has been traditionally”, Jijiashvili adds.

Addressing the question of how we reach this new market though Curran says “the curation side is becoming more and more important” as is focusing on the human side of things.

She says: “On the marketing side we’re seeing that yes having humans, real humans, come out and talk… whether it’s on TikTok videos, in press interviews etc, that can be really impactful. There’s lots of different ways that developers can show why they are making this game, what it means to them and connect with their audiences on a deeper level… I think also that approach enhances cultural recognition of games across culture as a whole.”

Games are an expression of creativity and leaning into this and championing this aspect of the craft presents a great opportunity.

Curran highlights that in an age of AI Development in particular, where there’s an “abundance of digital content out there”, focusing on the human creativity that goes into games is vital. She says: “The way you can really succeed as a game developer would be to really lean in to the authentic human experience that you have lived. AI cannot reproduce your own feelings, experiences, and that artistic side. Your own cultural experience, your own culture, can be reflected in games.”

Jijiashvili echoes this suggesting that when looking at expanding our audiences beyond the traditional games core base making things understandable and bringing creativity into how we explain what we have made too. He says: “new genres are emotionally led to describe what a game is [eg “cozy” games] making it very understandable immediately for those who are not familiar.”

At its core it’s about “creating different routes into the games industry for different people”, reflects Hebblethwaite.

Ensuring the cultural recognition of games is truly reflective of the nuances of the industry . Curran describes this as: “from a sheer marketing perspective, getting attention, connecting with audiences [and] having that human authenticity come through – real culture come through – is really important.”

She adds: “Developing that audience and making sure that as many people as possible know that games don’t have to be a disposable slots casino game on your mobile, they are beautiful pieces of art and they can really bring something special to having experienced them.”

Poole says: “Any industry that has aspirations of long term success needs to have a sense of where it came from. That’s why we need to get much better at capturing the cultural artefacts of this moment this thing we’re all a part of and really celebrating its people… making that visible to people is a huge part of changing hearts and minds.”

Elaborating on this Poole adds: “As a piece of soft diplomacy, as a cultural expression, as a message we want to send to the world I think it is becoming increasingly important that games are understood.”

As Hebblethwaite said at the top of the talk, “the wider cultural recognition [of games] is one of the levers that can bring a whole load of benefits to the industry.”

He elaborated: “There’s lots of reasons why taking that message of the creative and cultural power of games can help address industry challenges, create opportunities and ultimately see all boats continue to rise.

“I believe that the cultural recognition of games is an important part of the solution and has real-world impacts on all of our endeavours”.