INSiGHT: Scottish Games Week 2023

The first Scottish Games Week (SGW) was launched in 2022, and with its success it was soon decided to repeat the event in 2023. Events ran from the 30th October until the 3rd November at different cities in Scotland, featuring large names in the industry and allowing an opportunity to network.

Scottish Games Week started off with the SGW Industry Conference, a two-day event held in Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. The program was full of interesting talks and opportunities to get to know one another. Studios, developers and other companies had the chance to set up stalls in the main area, allowing visitors to have a shot at their game or get information while mingling with cups of tea or coffee. The conference provided excellent networking opportunities and knowledge. It was incredibly well organised, and the venue was fantastic.
The Scottish Games Education Network Symposium in Dundee was aimed at educators, academics and employers within the gaming industry, and provided an opportunity to network and discuss the future of education in terms of gaming in Scotland.

The highlight of SGW was, of course, the Scottish Games Awards. Hosted in Glasgow in an interesting venue right below Central Station called 'Platform', this event not only celebrated incredible achievements in gaming, but also provided a platform (pun intended) for further networking. After some mingling with free welcome drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, it was finally time to hear more about the amazing achievements from people working in gaming and education in Scotland.
Each award was well-deserved, and it would have been great if people in the back had had the respect to listen to people's speeches, but overall, it was a wonderful celebration. This was only topped by the amazingly tasty canapés served during the break. They were, truly, out of this world.
The finalists and winners of the awards were many:

ART AND ANIMATION
Skye Tales - Puny Astronaut (Winner)
Super Stretchy Chicken Legs - Ping Creates
Tray Racers - Bitloom
 
AUDIO
Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot - The London Case - Blazing Griffin/Calum Robb
Skye Tales - Puny Astronaut/Ged Grimes/Chris D'Arcey
Eschaton - Jabuga (Winner)
 
BEST SMALL-BUDGET GAME
Operation: Pinkeye - Stormplay
Nugget Run - Ping Creates
The Longest Walk - Alexander Tarvet (Winner)
 
BEST LARGE-BUDGET GAME
Skye Tales - Puny Astronaut
Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot - The London Case - Blazing Griffin (Winner)
Scathe - Damage State
 
CREATIVITY
Voyage of a Lifetime (Sea of Thieves) - Disk Two/Production Attic
Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot - The London Case - Blazing Griffin
Marion's Journey - Chimera Tales (Winner)
 
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Venture's Gauntlet - Bearhammer Games
Takenoko (Tilt 5) - Blazing Griffin
Viewfinder - Matt Stark (Winner)
 
SPIRIT OF SCOTLAND
Red Rampant - Eclectic Synthesis
Aonar - Glasgow School of Art
Skye Tales - Puny Astronaut (Winner)
 
PURE QUALITY
The Longest Walk - Alexander Tarvet
Beat Blocks - Playable Tech
BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space - Changing Day (Winner)
 
BEST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME
Online Diploma Programme (Game Design) - Robert Gordon College (Winner)
BSc (Hons) Games Development - Glasgow Caledonian University
CodeCraft - NESCOL
 
BEST EDUCATOR
Dr Thomas Hainey - University of the West of Scotland (Winner)
Hamid Homatash - Glasgow Caledonian University
Sarah Herzog - Fife College
 
DIVERSITY CHAMPION
Jon Mortimer - Napier University
Searra Leishman - Hyper Luminal Games (Winner)
Professor Ruth Falconer - Abertay University
 
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Paul Farley
Chris Sawyer
Mike Dailly (Winner)
 
COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD (STEWART GILRAY)
Neon Hive
Luci Holland (Winner)
Dr Amanda Ford
 
TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY
CaptionAssist3D - Arboreta Games
PURE4D - DI4D
Game Maker Studio 2 - Opera (Winner)
 
RISING STAR
Rach Macpherson - Neon Hive (Winner)
Kayla Wallace - Puny Astronaut
Phoebe Anderson - Hyper Luminal Games
 

After the ceremony, there were about 30 more minutes of mingling and photographs being taken before it was time to say Goodbye. It was a gorgeous event that will be remembered for a long time.
 
The final event, also held in Glasgow, rounded up the week. SGW More Than Games was aimed at those who are not involved in gaming in a large scale, to showcase how the power of video games can transform the digital world.

It is fair to say that the organisation of an event of this magnitude is incredibly difficult - yet the team pulled it off beautifully. With the number of sponsors and government support, the world better watch out, for Scotland's gaming industry is connecting and on the rise.
We would like to thank the Scottish Games Network for the opportunity to partake in the events of Scottish Games Week and congratulate them to the successful execution!