How can Serious Games stimulate the economy in south eastern Europe

Serious Gaming is a fast developing technology sector. Consequently, the investment in Serious Games has the potential to stimulate the growth of local economies, and especially the ICT sector and its involvement in the design, production and distribution of Serious Games software. In the long term, investing in Serious Games can strengthen the regions’ competitiveness and attractiveness as well as create employment and initiate cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation.

Insightful innovation policies can exploit the technological opportunities and encourage the development of production capabilities for Serious Games. Bringing together creative artists, graphic designers, developers, game analysts and entrepreneurs permits to build a technology community in the field of Serious Games. Serious Games can be an innovative driving force in creating growth and jobs through innovation, serving one of the major goals of the Lisbon strategy and preparing the South-East Europe region for the 21st century.

Innovation, education and the involvement of local SMEs in the context of a European-wide technology network are key elements in improving the development and the competitiveness of the regions of South-East Europe and will facilitate intra-region cooperation. South-East Europe will profit of the investments in innovation, education and training in order to cope with regional disparities and to close the gap between the member states of the EU.