Category Archives: IGDA Scotland

Mini Jam 2015 – Get Involved!

Posted on 27/04/2015 by | Comments Off on Mini Jam 2015 – Get Involved!

After its successful run in 2014 the Mini Jam is back and bigger than ever. This year we are visiting five different schools in and around Glasgow with a grand finale in June. This is a great opportunity to help inspire and tutor the next generation of game developers. We are looking for the following:

  • Volunteers to help mentor and encourage the children
  • A team of Judges to choose the winning games
  • Sponsorship from Scottish game companies to provide goody bags of promotional items for the children

About the Mini Jam

The Mini Game Jam is an initiative to inspire primary school children and teach them the basics of game design in a fun and compelling environment, working together in teams to create games with mentoring from lecturers from local universities as well as industry professionals. Whilst the primary purpose of the day is to provide a fun and engaging activity for the children, it is also important that they be shown that games are not simply to be played – they can create them for themselves.

The Schools

12th May 2015 – Smithycroft Secondary School
19th May 2015 – Rosshall Academy
21st May 2015 – Holyrood Secondary School
26th May 2015 – Bannerman High School
17th June 2015 – Glasgow Clyde College Cardonald Campus

If you would like to volunteer as a judge or mentor on any of the above dates please fill out the following form: http://goo.gl/forms/jEio5VkAK6

If you are able to help with sponsorship then please contact Amanda Wilson at: [email protected].

 

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Posted in IGDA Scotland, Special Events

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IGDA Scotland at GDC

Posted on 15/03/2015 by | Comments Off on IGDA Scotland at GDC

IGDA Scotland was well represented at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. Current Abertay undergraduates Jess Hider and 2014 graduate Zoe Sams were both selected as winners of the new IGDA Foundation Intel Scholarships, which gave just thirty women a once in a lifetime experience to attend the conference, offering invaluable networking and mentoring. The initiative with Intel was launched this year in association with the IGDA Foundation to help promote and support diversity in the industry.

Jess Hider

Jess Hider is an undergraduate Computer Arts student at Abertay University specialising in animation. Her recent project, Seek – created with Team Five Pixels – not only won the Artistic Achievement Award at last year’s Dare to be Digital, but went on to win the TIGA’s Best Student Game award in 2014 and BAFTA Scotland’s New Talent Award in Games. Seek is available in beta on Android and soon to be fully released on iOS.

Zoe-Sams

Zoë Sams is an aspiring programmer and technical artist, currently studying for an MSc in Computer Animation and Visual Effects at Bournemouth University. She graduated from Abertay University with an honours degree in Computer Games Technology in 2014. Currently, Zoë is volunteering with the Bournemouth University Games Development Society, organising workshops and talks.

Congratulations to Jess, Zoë and all the other 2015 scholars. For more information about upcoming IGDA Scholarships, please check here.

Brian McDonald

Jess and Zoë weren’t the only ones touching shoulders with the gaming elite in San Francisco this year. Our very own board member, Brian McDonald, was awarded a full access pass to GDC as a Global Game Jam VIP. Brian has been regional organiser for UK & Ireland for the last 2 years, before that he was one of the organisers for the Glasgow site.

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Posted in IGDA Scotland, Scholarship

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Introducing our 2014 Election Candidates and Opening of Voting

Posted on 14/11/2014 by | Comments Off on Introducing our 2014 Election Candidates and Opening of Voting

We’re extremely proud to announce that the nominations for this year’s Board of Directors election are in, with a total of 7 candidates running for 4 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 Andrew Macdonald and Brian McDonald.

2014 Election Candidates

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. This is a remarkable improvement over our very first election last year, which was more of a formality with no real contest. The results of the election will be announced at the Annual General Meeting and Social on 19th November from 19:30 at The Admiral Bar in Glasgow, which you are welcome to attend! It will be a great chance to meet the new board members and celebrate how far the chapter has come over the last year. We are still seeking a sponsor for the AGM! If you can help, please contact [email protected].

Eventbrite - IGDA Scotland Annual General Meeting 2014
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. The candidates running (pictured above) are in alphabetical order by surname as follows:

You can learn more about our election process by reading our 2014 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].

  • Tuesday 18th November
    • Deadline for votes
  • Wednesday 19th November

Eventbrite - IGDA Scotland Annual General Meeting 2014
Continue reading →

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Posted in Glasgow, IGDA Scotland

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November 2014: Annual General Meeting in Glasgow

Posted on 05/11/2014 by | Comments Off on November 2014: Annual General Meeting in Glasgow

Global Game Jam Play Party 2014 in Glasgow

As the year starts to wrap up for the holidays, and as as our ongoing chapter Board of Directors elections draw to a close, you’re invited to join us on 19th November from 19:30 at The Admiral Bar in Glasgow to reflect on what our community has accomplished over the course of the last year, and what the coming year may bring.

Just like any of our other events, the AGM is open to anybody interested in game development in Scotland. You’re a part of the wider community, whether you’re an IGDA member or not, so we heartily encourage you to come along, share your views and have an impact.

As the AGM is largely a social and celebratory occasion, we would love to offer free drinks to our attendees with the help of a generous sponsor. If you are interested in helping us out, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Global Game Jam Play Party 2014 in Glasgow

If you wish to vote or run in the upcoming elections, you must be an full IGDA member by 23:59 on 11th November, so be sure to join the IGDA if you would like to participate; those wishing to nominate themselves for election should also submit a candidate statement. Learn more about our election process here

Eventbrite - IGDA Scotland Annual General Meeting 2014

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Posted in Glasgow, IGDA Scotland, Meetings

2014 Elections Open for IGDA Scotland Board of Directors

Posted on 20/10/2014 by | Comments Off on 2014 Elections Open for IGDA Scotland Board of Directors

We’re delighted to announce that IGDA Scotland’s 2014 Board of Directors Elections are now underway, with seats open for nominations and voting.

IGDA Scotland Logo

This process is an important way for the members of the organisation to have their say in who is going to run things.It’s also an opportunity to make changes to the chapter’s leadership in ways that represent your interests as a game developer; and finally, they’re also an excellent way to get more involved with the chapter yourself, and help shape our future.

We encourage you to read the full 2014 Election Procedures Policy, but the key dates for the election process are as follows:

  • Monday 20th October
    • Call for nominations opens
  • Tuesday 11th November
    • Nominations closed. All nominations must be received by this date.
    • Must be a member by this date to participate in the vote.
  • Wednesday 12th November
    • Distribute Election Materials to members
  • Tuesday 18th November
    • Deadline for votes
  • Wednesday 19th November
    • New board members to be announced at Annual General Meeting

In order to nominate yourself as a candidate for election, you must be an IGDA member in good standing with voting rights (i.e. a professional member, not a student member), must agree to be bound by the IGDA Scotland Bylaws, and also have read the 2014 Election Procedures Policy.

To nominate yourself, email [email protected] with your candidate statement (of up to 400 words) before 23:59 on 11th November to let us know you wish to stand.

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IGDA Scholarships for GDC 2014 Announced

Posted on 23/01/2014 by | Comments Off on IGDA Scholarships for GDC 2014 Announced

IGDA_Scholarships

The IGDA Scholarships are a great opportunity for students involved in games development courses, and other related disciplines, to attend an industry event and receive mentorship from members of the videogame community in order to help kickstart their careers.

The receipients of this year’s scholarships to the 2014 Game Developers Conference were recently announced, and we’re delighted to reveal that 2 of the 16 scholars who will be heading to San Francisco this March are Scottish students.

Caitlin Goodale and Andrew Macdonald, both students at the University of Abertay, will receive all-access passes to GDC 2014, as well as industry mentors and tours of local studios to help them make the most of their experience.

GDC is the world’s largest professionals-only videogame industry event, and features over 400 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions on a wide variety of topics led by industry experts and luminaries.

We’re delighted that once again Scotland is so well represented in the IGDA Scholars group, and we’re sure you’ll join us in congratulating Caitlin and Andrew on their achievement. We can’t wait to hear about their adventures at GDC!

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Posted in IGDA Scotland, Scholarship

IGDA Scotland Launches a Job Board

Posted on 04/11/2013 by | Comments Off on IGDA Scotland Launches a Job Board

Today we’re delighted to unveil another addition to the services that we offer to the Scottish game development community – the Job Board.

Simply put, the Job Board is an online, free resource where people can advertise positions they have available. In contrast to a lot of similar offerings, we also have taken great care to not only include provision for paid positions but also to allow hobbyist and student teams to advertise positions on their projects.

We will be moderating the board to ensure that the content remains of relevance to the IGDA Scotland community. We won’t be requiring that the position be in Scotland, because ultimately our community bleeds slightly south of the border in some places anyhow, but we will be ensuring that the content is policed.

We’re just starting out with this, and our policies are liable to change over time, but we hope that you will all find this new addition to the IGDA Scotland services useful! Bookmark and keep an eye on http://jobs.igdascotland.org, let us know in the comments what you’d like to see from this resource in the future and please please spread the word!

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