Game On: Dundee & Angus College Wins National Award

Dundee and Angus College has secured a major industry award at the inaugural Scottish Games Awards.

The Higher National (HN) Games Development Programme at Dundee and Angus College was hailed Best Educational Programme at the awards ceremony, held as part of Scottish Games Week (24-29 October 2022).

Both the HNC and HND courses are diverse in their content, with students mastering topics such as game design, games programming and game interface design. Meanwhile, applications will open shortly for the brand new Foundation Degree in Esports and Creative Industries Programme, offering equivalent qualifications to the HN programme. Running in conjunction with the University of West London, the programme will welcome students from August 2023.

James Oliver of Dundee and Angus College and Brian Baglow of Scottish Games Network. Credit – Scottish Games Network.

The Scottish Games Awards were created to recognise achievement and excellence across Scotland’s games ecosystem, from individuals and organisations to the games themselves.

Brian Baglow, Director of Scottish Games Network, said, “Our education pipeline is often proclaimed world class but all too often flies under the radar, so we’re thrilled to have Dundee and Angus College as the inaugural winner of the best educational programme. It reinforces Dundee’s place as the spiritual home of games in Scotland and highlights the city’s ongoing contribution to the world’s most valuable creative industry.”

Over the years, Dundee-based Ninja Kiwi has been a strong and proactive partner within the award-winning programme, supporting the students through their journey, sharing their team’s expertise during masterclasses and talks, and shaping the curriculum’s content.

James Oliver, Head of Curriculum and Quality for Computing at Dundee and Angus College, said, “We are delighted to have received the award for Best Educational Programme at the first Scottish Games Week. The course is the result of the hard work of staff over many years with the participation and input from Ninja Kiwi, which has helped to shape the content and given many students their first taste of industry. The course would be nothing without our fantastic community of students, so many of whom keep in touch with us when they move on, and we’re always thrilled to read of their successes.”

David Hamilton, Executive Vice-President, Ninja Kiwi Europe, added, “For us, one of the key challenges is recruitment. Our job is to attract people into the industry and retain them, so partnering up with Dundee and Angus College is a no-brainer for us. Not only can we provide placements for their students and give them real-life exposure to the industry, but we can also help shape the courses they offer to ensure that they’re teaching the skills that we need – now and in the future.”

For more information about Gaming and Esports opportunities at Dundee and Angus College, visit www.dundeeandangus.ac.uk

ENDS

The judging panel consisted of a number of industry icons, namely:

Brian Baird: Technical Director at Bethesda Games Studios Austin
Joe Donnelly: Feature Writer at GamesRadar+
Alisdair Gunn: Director at Glasgow City Innovation District
Steven Hamill: COO at Scottish Edge
Keza MacDonald: Video Games Editor at The Guardian
Jim Trinca: Games journalist and video producer
Jo Twist: CEO of UKIE