Games get dragged into the biggest game of all - politics, with the Chancellor Alistair Darling accused of “cynical electioneering” after praising his own tax relief for Tayside’s computer gamers industry by Angus Tory candidate Alberto Costa angry at the way the relief granted in the Budget was being used in the campaign, while SNP Dundee East candidate Stewart Hosie argues Treasury documents show relief will be of no benefit to the industry this tax year!

But initial findings on a management skills project, reported by the Scotsman, and  due for completion in September is unveiled on Wednesday at a workshop in Dundee, with academics and industry players discussing the problem. The workshop will include practical tasks and "scenario-based" work to help those employed in the sector and students training to become games designers to learn how to also manage businesses better.

Katherine Champion, research assistant at Abertay's Dundee Business School, said: "We found that business activity in the creative industries is underpinned by a tension between creative and commercial priorities. On one hand, businesses need to foster creativity, yet also exploit and commercialise it.

Her project,  Supporting small firm growth strategies in the digital media industries  questioned industry representatives and was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council's business engagement scheme. 

Championis quoted saying that "In practice, these demands are often conflicting rather than complementary and such tensions require a sophisticated change in management capability and, in some cases, drastic organisational change." Computer games entrepreneurs needed strategic vision, effective organisational structures and "high levels of managerial expertise" to solve such conflicts.

Paul Farley, (left) MD of Dundee based TAG Games, blessed with the impresario management skills of non-executive director (right)  Bill Dobbie, said he was not surprised by the findings.

His approach to the problem was by setting up TAG Games with a twin-track revenue approach, (toward the muti-stream revenue nirvanah of all web-sites) giving the firm more autonomy over its own game designs, by taking on income-earning contract work for other clients.

Own titles have included Car Jack Streets, on Apple's iPhone and other mobiles, and Astro Ranch, a launch games to accompany the new iPad. Contract work include a computer game version of the BBC1 series Total Wipeout for Endemol and programming for Virgin Atlantic airline.

Dr Richard Wilson, (left) CEO of trade body TIGA, defends companies in the games sector. He said computer games developers had a passion for their work butt he industry is complicated by the relationship with games publishers and financiers, which had more commercial concerns.

"Games developers tend to be more entrepreneurial and are prepared to take more of a risk, I think traditional publishers and third party financiers will be looking for more security and guarantees that their investments in a project will return a dividend."

 TIGA  Hewitt salary survey: quality and churn issues
The technical development / programming function saw the highest salaries at all survey levels, whilst Quality Assurance saw the lowest.
• Base salary increases of between 2% and 3% over the last 12 months are in line with UK general industry increases in the same period.
• On average participating organisations reported that 85% of employees are full time, 5% part time and 10% contractors.
• 6.6% of the survey workforce is female while the average age of employees in the survey is relatively young with a narrow range, typically between 25 and 39.
• The average length of service is between 7 and 10 years.
• Reported turnover is significantly higher than the UK average of 8%, at 13% and is consistent across participants.