We’re very happy to announce that the nominations for this year’s Board of Directors election are in, with a total of 6 candidates running for 3 open seats and the opportunity to directly shape the chapter’s future. These new directors will serve for up to 2 years, and join existing board members Mal Abbas, Tony Gowland, Jaime Cross and Andrew Macdonald.
This also means that the voting phase of the election process has begun, where IGDA members (with voting rights) can have their say on how the chapter is led, and the chance to decide who best represents their interests. You are welcome to join us for the Annual General Meeting and Social (more info and Eventbrite TBA), where we will announce the election results and celebrate the past year.
To cast your vote, simply email us at [email protected] with your IGDA membership number and the name(s) of the candidate(s) you would like to vote for. You can vote for as many or as few as you choose.
Please return your votes ASAP, the deadline is 23:59 GMT on 18th November. Votes received after that time will not be counted. The results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting on the 22nd November (more details TBA).
Even if you can’t vote, we encourage you to read the candidate statements to get an idea of where things might be going in the future:
- Paul Leishman
- Sandy Louchart
- Emma Purvey
- Zoe Sams
- Steven Taarland
- Timea Tabori
You can learn more about our election process by reading our 2016 Election Procedures Policy. If you’re an IGDA member with voting rights (i.e. not a student member), you should have been emailed about how to cast your vote. If you think you’re eligible to vote, but haven’t been sent voting instructions, please contact [email protected].
- Friday 18th November
- Tuesday 22nd November
- New board members to be announced at Annual General Meeting
Introducing your 2016 election candidates:
Paul Leishman
As the Games Producer at the digital content and magazine company, TeamRock; I know games are inspired and inspire other creative industries. Music, film, writing and art have all inspired games, and our industries work has played a part in there’s as well. Currently in Scotland we’ve an amazing creative culture but in practice haven’t really tapped into these other industries as much as we should. As an IGDA board member it would be my goal to create and in some cases renew these links to make sure members are getting the full benefit of our shared culture.
My Goals Would Be:
- Establish stronger links between music, film, writing and art with the games industry.
- Help our members be more involved with other creative industries so they can learn new skills and get inspired.
- Setup workshops for members to learn about licencing laws that other creative industries have in place.
- Look at helping smaller games business find and attract projects that are inspired or involve members from other creative business and professionals.
- Work with other event organisers to make sure that games industry is being represented and to bring us closer to other creative industries.
Working at TeamRock I’ve already worked with musicians and artists to create games and in past roles worked with CGI specialists for TV projects. This experience is what I want to bring to the IGDA board and make sure the Scottish games industry benefits from the culture and creative industries that make up our creative community.
Sandy Louchart
I am a senior research fellow at the Glasgow School of Art’s school of Simulation and Visualisation, where I lecture and research both games and serious games design. From an academic perspective, my research has been focused on understanding interactive storytelling in the context of games and Artificial Intelligence and engineering bridges between creative practitioners and the practical use of game technologies in other disciplines. I co-instantiated the RIDERS network between 2011 and 2015 (Research in Interactive Drama Environments, Role-play and Storytelling). This was an EPSRC funded project which aimed to build a network community of interactive digital storytelling experts (drama, computer programming, game-making live action role-play, etc) in the UK and abroad.
The game industry is one of the fastest growing industries globally. The success stories are built on both established and emerging innovations and a flexible approach to a rapidly evolving environment. As such, it is essential to preserve and develop links with education and research in order to provide access to a stream of qualified and skilled graduates and innovation-driven research institutions. I would aim, if elected on the IGDA Scotland board of directors, to engage with education and research institutions across Scotland in order to:
- Gain a better understanding of the provision of graduate and post-graduate courses relevant to the games industry in Scotland.
- Engage and connect IGDA industry members with innovative research taking place locally.
- Advocate, across disciplines, a positive vision of the role, contributions and benefits of games and supporting industries in the Scottish innovation and creative landscape.
I would aim, as a member of the board, to initiate outreach activities exploring the benefits and opportunities associated with game development to equal and diverse audiences, from school-aged children and local communities to research groups in leading Scottish institutions. Furthermore, I would encourage members to act towards representing the needs and diversity of the Scottish game industry to decision-makers and local authorities in Scotland.
Emma Purvey
I have worked in Talent Management within the Scottish games industry for 13+ years, leading established and emerging games studios in people management and talent attraction.
Through my time in the games industry I have an innate appreciation of the importance of nurturing and engaging with creative talent in the games sector.
I feel this lends itself well to the goals of IGDA and its membership.
Working with Outplay over the last 5 years to grow the studio from 2 founders to a world class team of over 150, I am also acutely aware of the challenges but also the opportunities the Scottish Game Dev sector has in attracting and retaining talent.
Therefore my motivation in joining the IGDA board would be to progress these 2 areas within the chapter. I would utilise my experience in training and development, recruitment, diversity, education, accessing support for growth, marketing, branding, managing communities and external outreach to help grow the chapter and its influence and reach with in and out with Scotland.
Zoe Sams
I’m Zoe, a full-time tools programmer, and have been professionally involved with the games industry for just over a year now. I studied at both Abertay University and Bournemouth University, where I threw myself into volunteering with the university’s game development society and the Southern Independent Games Network. While studying for my masters, I was fortunate enough to be awarded a place as one of the inaugural IGDA Foundation Intel Scholars to attend GDC in San Francisco. I’d love to be able to give back to the community that gave me so much, and I’m confident I can do that on the board.
Having experienced other games initiatives and IGDA chapters around the UK, in my opinion the Scottish chapter has one of the most involved communities, creating a vast and diverse support network. This network connects all areas of the games industry, from those working professionally to students and hobbyists. One thing I’ve noticed from attending or volunteering at monthly events is that the community itself is evolving, and that neighbouring industries and interdisciplinary sectors are now more interested in the games community than ever. This is something that could be used heavily to our advantage – either by bringing in outside expertise to speak at events, or for us to host full networking events for funding and project collaboration.
As a STEM Ambassador, I’m also extremely keen to further the relationship of the IGDA not only with the academic community, but communities of young learners who may simply not know that they have the potential of having a career within the games industry. I have always been passionate about both art and mathematics, but the modular means of education meant I was almost oblivious to the idea that these subjects could be combined until the end of my time in high school.
Finally, while I feel the IGDA continues to focus on extremely important issues that exist within our industry, we need to ensure that there is also diversity in the range of events we offer. Talks and panels on a wide array of topics are interesting, but can stagnate, and we should begin looking into alternative presentation options to keep members and the general community active and engaged.
Thank you for your consideration.
Steven Taarland
I currently work at Tag Games Ltd. Dundee where I have had the opportunity to work on several commercial mobile projects. I also develop games as part of Insert Imagination, where we are currently developing To-Tum, a mobile puzzle games, as well as being able to attend several events including GDC 2016 and Develop 2015, as well as participating in Dare to be Digital in 2014, and showcasing To-Tum at Dare to be Digital 2014 and 2015, Games are for Everyone, and XPO North 2015.
I recently founded the Scottish Rainbow Game Dev group, a group to collaborate, debate and discuss anything you want among Scottish LGBT+ Game Developers. This group was created to allow a free and open space to discuss games development, interests, and issue within the industry with like minded individuals. As part of this i organised #RainbowJam16, a two week game jam to promote LGBT+ diversity in the game industry. The jam was hugely successful, raising nearly £4000 in prizes for winners, as well as having participants from across the globe taking part!
As a LGBT member of the games industry in Dundee, Scotland, I feel that sharing my experience in the Scottish/UK industry is crucial for other potential members of the community. I had very few local role models in the industry that represented minorities, so I believe it is hugely important for more LGBT role models represented in games academia and from British game development studios. I believe the industry has the potential to be inclusive of minorities, and as the games industry is constantly changing I feel it is important that we explore issues within the industry, specifically at this time a lack of diversity within a lot of studios.
My goals as a potential board member of IGDA Scotland would be to promote and encourage more diverse voices from across the Scottish Industry, by actively promoting people with diverse backgrounds to get involved with IGDA events, whether that be just attending events, being parts of talks or panels, or playing a more active role within the organisation.
Thank you for your consideration for the IGDA Scotland Board!
Timea Tabori
I am an Engine Programmer at Rockstar North and have been involved with IGDA Scotland for a few years now – starting as a volunteer in 2013, joining the Board of Directors in 2014 and having served as Chair this past year.
I would love to return to the Board to continue some of the great work IGDA Scotland have been doing. Given the opportunity to resume my work on the Board I aim to focus on continuing the streak of regular monthly events we put on this year and working to continuously improve the quality, and reach of those events. I see IGDA Scotland meetups as opportunities to connect creatives around Scotland, across disciplines and industries through which we can not only share knowledge but build a stronger and more supportive community. Being a previous IGDA Scholar myself, I can definitely say that the organisation has helped me in my professional career and the connections and experiences I gained through my time at IGDA Scotland have truly had a great influence on me. I will aim to help build a community where not only more people but a more diverse group of people can benefit from our work.
I will work towards ensuring the work of the chapter is sustainable by securing sponsorship and funding to cover venue costs for regular meet ups. I would also love to see the chapter organise more varied events to engage new audiences and cater for different interests and goals. I want IGDA Scotland to be a medium through which we can encourage more women to be an active and integral part of the game dev community. I want us to provide diverse opportunities for growth and celebrate achievement. I want us to foster closer relationships between developers and academia, and also independent developers, AAA developers and students.
If given the opportunity to return to my position on the Board I would make it my goal to foster a more interconnected game dev community.
Thank you for your consideration.
