College success at 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.

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. We are lucky to have Games as our local industry and will continue to work hard to create courses to help our students succeed.”

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.”

Find out more about Computing & Creative Media at D&A College.