AS someone whose business success has been based on his knowledge of computer games, it is a surprise to hear Chris van der Kuyl admit he doesn't get as much time as he would like to play them anymore.

Being a husband and a dad of three children, aged between six and nine, combined with a large pile of business responsibilities, mean his chances to indulge in one of his passions have been diminished.

But as the tall Dundonian jokingly points out, being a father also gives him his "own focus group" for what works in a virtual environment while also giving him a perfect excuse to play certain types of games with his children.

While admitting to sometimes living vicariously through the gaming exploits of younger and more time-rich colleagues, his passion for gaming remains undimmed.

He said: "The first thing most of us did when we got our hands on a computer was find something to play. I suppose that is the big privilege (for me). My day job is doing something I absolutely love."

Mr van der Kuyl's interests span non-executive and advisory positions, angel investing and the 4J Studios business he co-owns with long-term friend and collaborator Paddy Burns.

4J, which has premises in Dundee and East Linton, East Lothian, is the software development partner for Mojang, the Swedish company behind the Minecraft phenomenon.

Mojang was purchased for $2.5 billion by Microsoft earlier this year but Mr van der Kuyl is confident the company will continue to work on porting Minecraft to console platforms including the Playstation Vita and Xbox One.

The close collaboration was cemented by the Scottish company recently hosting members of the Mojang team for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

Mr van der Kuyl said the event had rekindled his interest in golf and he is planning to dust down his clubs in the near future.

Alongside that he remains a non-executive director at Brightsolid, the digital arm of the DC Thomson publishing empire, having run the business for several years including building up its activities in genealogy and the purchase of Friends Reunited. The Dundonian also advises DC Thomson on certain digital ventures.

In addition both he and Mr Burns have been dipping their toes into investing in small and start-up companies, mainly in the technology sector.

One firm he has an interest in is Edinburgh-based TV Squared which does analytics around television advertising.

Mr van der Kuyl said: "A lot of the investing is around people we know or have got to know. In investments in technology you want to choose a sector you think is going to be really (good) and then it is about choosing people you really like or have a lot of confidence (in).

"There will be more of that and we are always on the lookout to support and help great talent."

As someone who has experienced the ups and downs in the Scottish computer gaming sector at close quarters he believes the industry now finds itself in a strong position.

He suggests the combination of new talent coming in from institutions such as Abertay University coupled with entrepreneurs and business people who have built more than one company provides a solid talent pool. Alongside that the rise of mobile gaming and the easier route to market offered by app stores is giving businesses chances to reach consumers more easily than at any time in the past.

He said: "Scotland is fantastically positioned. The talent is coming in and our reputation is there.

"I think the economics of the industry are such that people can find all sorts of ways to enter it."

The area he would like to see improve in Scotland is in the digital commerce sphere.

He said: "I'd argue there are equally talented technologists (and coders) in Scotland as there are in Silicon Valley.

"I'd probably struggle to argue the same thing for digital commerce people. Whether you are in games or travel websites we are all trying to find customers inhabiting the same digital world.

"How you do that is really the secret sauce between having a good idea and making it really successful."

Ambition has until now not proven to be much of a problem for Mr van der Kuyl which is why he appears to be an appropriate chairman for the Entrepreneurial Scotland organisation.

Formed through the coming together of the Entrepreneurial Exchange and Saltire Foundation Mr van der Kuyl passionately outlines what he wants the big picture to look like in order to ensure Scotland can continue to have a competitive economy during the 21st century.

He said: "If Scotland is going to be successful then it has to be based on talent. It is not just about finding the next Tom Hunter, Willie Haughey or Jim McColl.

"It is not about getting people to go out and set up businesses. It is about saying entrepreneurial culture (and) leadership goes right to the heart of every business in Scotland, the heart of the Scottish government and Scottish education.

"If we don't act differently, think differently and network ourselves together then we have no chance. We have to go and find the answers ourselves rather than wait for them to be given to us."

Mr van der Kuyl believes encoding this entrepreneurial DNA into the nation will lift personal ambitions regardless of whether a person decides to start a business.

He said: "The key thing for me is connecting every individual in Scotland with a belief that I'm no different from a kid sitting in high school, programming away. That was me a few decades ago. I had nothing special around me other than great and inspirational teachers and the inspiration of other people also doing it."

Part of that involves dispelling the natural cynicism which forms part of the Scottish psyche. Mr van der Kuyl is of the opinion that ingrained attitudes about what is traditionally done should be questioned.

He said: "That has got to be consigned to the past. In this country we can do anything and especially in business there are no limits."

As if to underline his point he highlights travel search engine Skyscanner and the fantasy sports business FanDuel, which does most of its operations in the United States but has its base in Edinburgh.

He said: "I know them and look at the leadership and the investment and I'm looking at two companies which I think will have north of one billion dollar exits and not necessarily too far away.

"When that happens you will start to see the barriers evaporate. Those businesses will (also) turn out a next generation of people who will do it again."