With GDC fast approaching, we’ve dedicated this week to all representation from Scotland attending the conference thanks to IGDA Foundation programs. Kirsty Keatch is our next featured scholar! Kirsty has been selected as one of 2017s Women In Games Ambassadors.
What do you do?
My speciality is implementing mobile game audio but I have a few other tricks up my sleeve. People are used to associating sounds with places, events, actions, so my work explores interactions around all the different things sound and music can be, whether playing with intersections between art, sound and digital technologies or blurring boundaries between artist, player and performer.
I’m currently working with assistive music technology company Skoogmusic, a recipient of the UK Games Fund, to develop a music game using the Skoog as controller. I’m still researching a lot of ideas as I’ve just finished university. I have a sound installation which has been commissioned by Edinburgh International Science Festival, so I’m still excited to discover where my personal professional development might take me next.
Where are you from/what is your connection to Scotland?
I’m Scottish, all my family are from Dundee and I went to the University of Edinburgh to do Music Technology and then a Masters in Sound Design by research. I spent a lot of time out of Scotland as a child and as a result I feel very European. What I like about Scotland is that it has such a close knit creative community that nurtures and supports creative talent.
Why did you choose to apply to IGDA Scholarships specifically?
I chose to apply for an IGDA scholarship because I was inspired by the stories of other students who had gone over from Scotland in the past few years and how they benefitted from the experience, thanks to the support of the IGDA. Had it not been for these local success stories, I wouldn’t have believed I would be able to cut through on a global scale.
What are you most looking forward to at GDC?
I’m going to GDC like a tiny fish that wants to see what else is going on in the ocean.
I’m going armed with an enormous sense of curiosity because it is such a unique opportunity to find out about games and what else they can be. There aren’t many people researching game audio in Scotland and we rely a lot on online communities so I’m looking forward to actually meeting some of those people in real life. At the same time, I think I might be so inspired by other things I’m likely to come away with an entire change of career direction in mind.
Anything else you’d like to add?
A couple of years ago I don’t think I would have had enough experience and understanding of games to get the most out the conference. I’ve read the blogs of girls who have gone before me and I think that’s helped to prepare me. It’s a huge honour to be chosen as a Women in Games Ambassador and I won’t take a moment for granted!