ReportAEVI
Videojuegos en España: Impacto Económico y Escenarios Fiscales
1 Jan 2018121 pages~198 min full read
The Spanish video game industry generates a total economic impact of €3.577 billion, with every €1 invested yielding €3 in total economic activity.
The sector supports 22,828 total jobs when accounting for indirect and induced effects, with each direct industry position sustaining 2.6 additional jobs elsewhere.
Implementing a tax-credit fiscal policy (Scenario E2) is projected to provide the strongest stimulus, adding €627 million in production and 4,000 full-time jobs to the economy.
In 2016, the industry directly contributed €1.177 billion to GDP (0.11% of the national total) and employed 8,790 high-skill workers.
Software publishing has emerged as a high-growth activity in Spain, expanding at an annual rate of 4.7% between 2014 and 2024.
Despite sector growth, productivity in the broader editing segment has faced a 6.4% annual decline in value-added per employee, with revenue per worker currently at €144k.
The industry exhibits limited downstream impact, as indicated by low forward absorption and diffusion coefficients compared to professional services.
Spain’s video‑game industry is presented as a dynamic component of the national ICT services sector, whose economic relevance extends far beyond direct production. Using 2016 input‑output tables updated with INE data, the analysis quantifies the sector’s contribution to GDP, employment and value‑added, and evaluates how fiscal incentives and inter‑industry linkages shape its growth trajectory.
In 2016 the industry generated €1.177 billion in direct output, representing roughly 0.11 % of national GDP, and created 8 790 high‑skill jobs. When indirect and induced effects are incorporated, total activity rises to €3.577 billion, value‑added reaches €1.452 billion and employment expands to 22 828 positions, implying that each euro invested yields three euros of economic activity and that a game‑industry job supports 2.6 additional jobs elsewhere. The sector supplies 14.3 % of publishing output, 9.6 % of audiovisual production and 3.8 % of related services, yet its forward absorption and diffusion coefficients are low, indicating limited downstream impact compared with professional services.
Productivity analysis shows a 6.4 % annual decline in value‑added per employee within the broader editing segment, while revenue per worker remains modest at €144 k. Between 2014 and 2024, software publishing and cable‑free telecommunications emerge as the fastest‑growing Spanish activities, with annual expansions of 4.7 % and 4.2 % respectively, underscoring the sector’s alignment with broader digital trends.
Four fiscal‑policy scenarios are compared, and the tax‑credit option (E2) delivers the strongest stimulus, adding €627 million of production, €254 million of value‑added and 4 000 full‑time jobs, albeit at the cost of a modest deterioration in public‑finance balance. Methodologically, the study follows Frascati and Oslo standards, aggregates data at the two‑digit CNAE level, and employs a Leontief inverse to trace demand‑driven effects, ensuring international comparability of R&D, innovation and ICT metrics.
