Speakers, assemble! Industry pioneers confirmed as speakers in the first ever Scottish Games Week

Twenty-three industry-leading speakers have been confirmed for the first ever Scottish Games Week, taking place across Scotland between 24 and 28 October – with more to come.

Speakers range from designers, developers and audio engineers, to investors, marketers, and business leaders. Legendary game director, producer and designer David Mullich (Heroes of Might and Magic III, Duck Hunt) and marketing maven Patty Toledo (4Players), will cover a wide variety of disciplines and specialities across the games, tech and creative sectors at three events: More Than Games, the Education Symposium, and the two-day SGW Industry Conference.

David Mullich, Director of the critically acclaimed Heroes of Might and Magic III said: “I’m thrilled to be participating in the first-ever Scottish Games Week and celebrating Scotland’s thriving game industry.  It’s an honour to be in a gathering of such an innovative and accomplished game development community.”

Patty Toledo, Marketing Director at 4Players said: “Scotland’s games ecosystem is growing and evolving rapidly. Now is such a great time to get involved and really bring to light the importance games have to not only the creative industries but the tech industries as well.”

More Than Games (24 October) – Glasgow

More Than Games is a first-of-its-kind event, highlighting the transformative potential of the games ecosystem to the wider digital and creative industries. Attendees of More Than Games will be treated to presentations, provocation and panels covering topics from the convergence between games and screen, health, education, inclusion, transmedia and exploring how Scotland can harness the true power of creative media (spoiler: it’s by integrating games) – with speakers including:

• Jamie Bankhead (CEO at Konglomorate Games)
• Mick Cooke (Composer at MakeFire Music)
• HaZ Dulull (Producer/Director at HaZimation)
• John Gordon (CEO at Incentive Games)
• Chris Hainsworth (CFO at The Game CFO)
• Elena Höge (Founder of Yaldi Games)
• Houston Howard (Chief Storyteller at One 3 Creative)
• Neil McPhillips (Head of Games at Blazing Griffin)
• John Thornewill (Co-Founder and CEO at Zappaty)

Education Symposium (25 October) – Edinburgh

The Education Symposium brings together educators, institutions, stakeholders and students across Scotland for a practical hands-on day of workshops, and sessions created to debate, challenge and change the teaching of games skills in Scotland.

The symposium will focus on the ways in which games-related skills are taught and how to ensure Scotland has the talent pipeline it needs for the rapidly evolving global games ecosystem. Those confirmed to participate in the Education Symposium include:

• Brian Baglow (Founder and director of the Scottish Games Network, Lecturer at Edinburgh University and Editor in Chief of PocketGamer.biz)
• Julie Drybrough – chair (Founder and CEO of fuchsia blue)
• Dr Amanda Ford (Lecturer in Computing at West College Scotland)
• William Huber (Head of Centre for Excellence in Game Education at Abertay University)

SGW Industry Conference (27 – 28 October) – Dundee

The SGW Industry Conference is a two-day long event held in Dundee, the beating heart of Scotland’s games community. The conference features founders, pioneers, leaders and innovators from around the world, offering expertise and insight and from the forefront of the global games market.

The key trends from the forefront of games, as well as personal reflection and deep technical understanding are on offer from speakers which range from veteran global Scots, through to up-and-coming studios with their whole future ahead.

No matter your role within the games ecosystem, there’s something for every designer, developer, creator, publisher, educator, academic and organisation within the programme.

Speakers include:

• Mitchell Baxter (Director, Designer at Lazy Monday Games)
• Lisa Bennett (Manager at Dimoso Scotland)
• Craig Chapple (EMEA Mobile Insights Strategies at Sensor Tower)
• Graeme Devine (Creative Technical Officer at QXR Studios)
• Stephen Hey (Consultant at HeyStephenHey)
• Vaughan Holloway (CEO at Primordial Game Studios)
• Simon Meek (Founder of The Secret Experiment)
• David Mullich (Designer and Director of Heroes of Might and Magic III)
• Patty Toledo (Marketing Director at 4Players)
• Brentton White (CEO at North Sea Games)

Brian Baglow, Founder of the Scottish Games Network and Director of Scottish Games Week said: “The global games ecosystem is far larger and extends much further than the games industry. It encompasses education, creative industries, applied games, academia and much, much more. For the first ever Scottish Games Week we wanted to reflect this ecosystem and pull in speakers from around the whole who can offer perspective, insight and experience that will give context for the ongoing evolution of the world of gaming. I am thrilled to have so many wonderful speakers joining us at Scottish Games Week and believe we have a world class programme to offer visitors across every event.”

Tickets on sale for Scottish Games Week now. Early Bird prices are going fast and close on Friday 2 September 2022. Get Yours Now.

Entries are open for the Scottish Games Awards. With 12 categories on offer, covering individuals, organisations and games, there’s an opportunity for everyone to enter. To find out more and apply (free) visit the Scottish Games Awards page.

To find out more about all of the events taking place across Scottish Games Week, visit gamesweek.scot.

Scottish Games Week is being delivered by the Scottish Games Network and is supported by the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, delivered as part of its Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review (STER) programme.