In a joint venture between Business & IP Centre Liverpool and Professional Liverpool, entertainment giant Sony hosted a Game On! debate on the gaming sector in Liverpool city centre. Tony McDonough reports

More than 70 people took part in debate on the gaming sector hosted by Sony Interactive Entertainment at its base in Liverpool.

Game On! was organised by the Business & IP Centre Liverpool (BIPC) and Professional Liverpool. Part of Professional Liverpool’s regular Region of the Future series, it took place at Sony Interactive Entertainment in Old Hall Street.

Chris Maguire, founder of Imeg Partnership and executive editor at Business Cloud & TechBlast, chaired the debate. The panel included Clemens Wangerin, chief executive of VTime, Matt Wilson of Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Lauren Forbes of InnovateHer.

Discussions focused around funding sources, opportunities for women in gaming, raising the profile of the sector in the Liverpool city region and retaining and attracting talent. Sony’s Dave Parkinson provided attendees with an insight into the company’s history in Liverpool and current ambitions.

Business & IP Centre Liverpool (BIPC Liverpool) offers entrepreneurs looking to start a business, or grow an existing one, access to a range of specialist support services. It was established at Central Library in Liverpool seven years ago. It expanded into Wirral in September.

Geraldine Fuller of BIPC introduced the debate. She said: “We have helped more than 1,500 businesses last year and continue to support about 130 a month. It’s clear that the gaming industry here is big and growing with the potential to continue to make a major economic impact.

“There are literally thousands of businesses creating, innovating, disrupting, driving change and leading and creating in ways that had never been thought possible. We need to celebrate, harness, encourage and nurture this talent. Today marks a major step forward in doing this.”

Andrew Ruffler, chief executive of Professional Liverpool, added: “It was important for us to focus an event on a sector that while being recognised as important to the city, has not been talked about as much as other sectors and industries.

“Showcasing the wider sector, the businesses and opportunities within it is essential for our members, many of whom already providing professional expertise locally, nationally and internationally.”

Sony Interactive Entertainment has a history in the City dating back over 27 years. Around 500 staff are employed locally. It has recently relocated from Wavertree to the former ECHO building in Old Hall Street.