Plans for Dundee's first gaming museum have been revealed as young people launch fundraising campaign
Dundee could be one step closer to getting its very own gaming museum, thanks to an exciting new project being led by young people determined to celebrate the city’s incredible video games heritage!
HELM, a Dundee youth charity, has announced plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Friday 6 November, raising money to help young Dundonians begin developing plans for what could become the city’s first dedicated gaming museum.
And there’s some fantastic news for anyone wanting to support the project!
Every donation of up to £250 will be matched pound for pound by Creative Scotland, meaning £8,000 raised from the public could become £16,000 towards making the project a reality.
The campaign will run until 4pm on Friday 18 December 2026, with donations starting from just £10.
Donate to the project here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/dundee-made-games
Dundee’s incredible gaming history deserves a home
Dundee has played a remarkable role in the development of the global video games industry, producing some of the world’s most recognisable games and helping shape generations of developers.
From Lemmings to the original Grand Theft Auto, the city’s gaming history stretches back decades.
In the early 1980s, Dundee’s Timex factory manufactured the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, a home computer that introduced thousands of people to programming and video games.
Then came DMA Design, the Dundee-based studio established in the late 1980s that went on to create Lemmings and the original Grand Theft Auto.
And in 1997, Abertay University launched the world’s first computer games degree, helping cement Dundee’s reputation as an international centre for games education.
Today, that legacy continues through developers including Rockstar Dundee, Denki, Bit Loom, Tag Games and Hyper Luminal.
Yet despite this extraordinary history, Dundee still doesn’t have a dedicated museum bringing its video games story together.
That’s something the young people at HELM want to change.
An idea inspired by Dundee’s young people
The project began with a conversation among young people at HELM about the games created in their own city.
When they discovered that Dundee was responsible for Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, some were surprised by just how important their hometown had been to the industry.
One young person remarked: “Y’ken, the gaming story is massive in Dundee.”
Another simply asked: “Where?”
That question helped inspire the idea of creating a dedicated place where Dundee’s gaming history could be celebrated, explored and shared with future generations.
The project will be led by HELM’s Youth Collective, a group of young people aged 14–25 who help shape the charity’s work.
Rather than simply being visitors to a future museum, they will be directly involved in developing its ideas and exploring what it could become.
What happens next?
From February 2027, the young people will begin work on several exciting activities designed to bring the museum concept to life.
They will create models of a potential gaming museum and café inside HELM’s home at The Sea Captain’s House, while also beginning to collect games, old consoles, computer equipment, artwork and other memorabilia.
Another important part of the project will involve recording interviews with people who worked in Dundee’s video games industry, helping preserve their memories and experiences before they are lost.
The group will also work alongside artists and industry experts, developing new skills while learning more about the city’s gaming heritage.
Their ideas will eventually be presented to Dundee City Council and other partners.
Then, in June 2027, the young people plan to host a one-day public exhibition, showcasing their work and inviting Dundonians to share their own thoughts about what a future gaming museum should include.
It’s an important first step towards exploring how a permanent attraction could eventually become a reality.
Helping young people imagine new opportunities
For HELM, the project is about much more than creating a museum.
The charity has supported young people in Dundee for over 40 years, helping those facing barriers to education, employment and other opportunities.
Through the gaming museum project, participants will have the chance to develop practical and creative skills, work with professionals and discover potential careers in an industry with deep roots in their hometown.
Clare Taylor Brown, Chief Executive of HELM, said:
“Many of the young people we work with play games but have never pictured themselves making them. This project changes that. They’ll work alongside artists and industry experts, be paid for their time, and build something the whole city can be proud of.”
The project is also being supported by James Moorwood of Bit Loom, Professor Robin Sloan of Abertay University and Brian Baglow of the Scottish Games Network.
Preserving an important part of Dundee’s history
The proposed museum has also received encouragement from people who helped create some of Dundee’s most famous games.
Pat Kerr, a physics programmer who worked on Grand Theft Auto, believes a gaming museum could help tell an important story about Dundee’s changing economy.
He said:
“A games museum in Dundee would help to explore a valuable piece of local social history, showing part of the post industrial transition of the city away from factory work and into the new technological and cultural sectors.”
He added that it would hopefully be enjoyable too, joking that it could be “even more exciting than jute!”
The project aims to celebrate not only the games themselves, but also the people, technology and creativity that helped Dundee become one of the world’s most influential gaming cities.
How to support Dundee’s gaming museum project
HELM’s crowdfunding campaign will officially launch on Friday 6 November 2026, with the aim of raising £8,000 from the public.
Through Creative Scotland’s matched funding, eligible donations of up to £250 will be doubled, potentially bringing the total to £16,000.
At least 25 supporters are needed to unlock the matched funding.
There are several ways Dundonians can help:
Make a donation: Pledges start at £10, with eligible contributions up to £250 matched pound for pound.
Spread the word: Share the campaign with friends, family and anyone interested in Dundee’s gaming heritage.
Contribute to the project: HELM is looking to hear from former games industry workers willing to share their memories, people with historic gaming equipment or memorabilia, and developers interested in supporting the young people through talks or studio visits.
Anyone considering donating more than £250 is encouraged to contact HELM directly to discuss how their contribution could best support the project.
The campaign will close at 4pm on Friday 18 December 2026.
For further information and updates, visit dundeemadegames.org.uk.
Could Dundee finally get its own gaming museum?
For a city responsible for some of the most influential video games ever created, the idea of a dedicated gaming museum is an exciting prospect.
Dundee’s gaming story stretches from the factory floors of Timex to the development studios and university classrooms helping shape the industry today.
Now, a new generation of Dundonians wants to make sure that remarkable history isn’t forgotten.
Although the project is still in its early stages, the upcoming crowdfunding campaign and planned public exhibition represent significant steps towards exploring what a permanent gaming museum could look like.
And perhaps the most exciting part is that the people leading this next chapter of Dundee’s gaming story are the city’s young people themselves.
