It is claimed thousands of Dundee jobs are being jeopardised by UK Government proposals to create a UK centre of computer games excellence in Manchester.

Abertay University, which launched Britain's first Computer Games degree, is fighting the plans published in the Digital Britain report.

They would see games companies encouraged to base themselves in Salford.

Local academics and politicians say that could lure successful companies away from Dundee, which employs 3,000 people in the industry.

MSP for Dundee West Joe Fitzpatrick has expressed his concerns about the plans.

He said: “There is a real potential that if you have a centre of excellence elsewhere, that jobs would drain away there. Abertay University started a graduate course in computer games more than 10 years ago. We have Real Time Worlds based here; we have the knowledge; we have the expertise in education and industry all working together and I'd be really concerned that would be diluted by having another centre of excellence”.

Meanwhile the Principal of Abertay University, Professor Bernard King believes this flourishing industry in Scotland is worth protecting.

He said: “The point is we now have something indigenous in Scotland worth trillions globally. It's full of highly skilled young people. It doesn't require inward investment. It's new - it's the equivalent of shipbuilding in the 1900s. We need to grab it and bolt it down for Scotland and that takes courage and that requires passion and courage”.

Tag Games is just one of the computer game developers in Dundee. The company’s staff and managers were educated and trained in the city and they are now enjoying success making games for Nintendo, Sony and Apple.

One of the workers at Tag, Paul Farley says the government plans could force companies like themselves to relocate to England.

He said: "There could well be incentives on offer there. One of our biggest problems within our business is finding good talent and retaining it. Obviously any business has to go where the talent is, so if we find ourselves in a position where there's a brain drain in Dundee, then ultimately we'll have to relocate to where the talent is".

The Manchester proposal is currently being looked at by the government at Westminster.

The industry in Scotland is to write to ministers asking them to reconsider.