#abertay — Public Fediverse posts

Protecting Our Legacy: Why This New PhD is the First Step Toward a National Collection for Scottish Games

I am delighted to welcome the announcement of a fully funded PhD research studentship, which is now open for applications. Developing a Framework for a National Collection of Scottish Games Heritage is a collaboration between Abertay University, the University of Glasgow, and National Museums Scotland (NMS). This is a significant milestone in our journey to treat games as a vital part of Scotland’s cultural identity and heritage.

For years, I have been advocating for a more concerted effort to capture and curate our industry’s history. From the bedroom-coding era to the high-end global productions of today, the Scottish story is unique. Yet, currently, out of 12 million artefacts in the National Museums Scotland collection, fewer than 200 relate to our Scottish games heritage. This is a gap we have to do far more to address.

A Strategic Mandate for Preservation

This studentship is not just an academic exercise; it is a strategic necessity. As I have highlighted through the More Than Games philosophy, games are the golden thread of the modern economy, but they are also a fragile cultural asset. With 87% of games from the 1980s and 1990s currently out of print, we are at risk of losing the very foundations of our success and misunderstanding our own contribution to Scotland’s digital legacy.

At SGN, we have worked with many of the organisations supporting this appointment, as well as others across Scotland’s cultural and heritage ecosystem. I am also a trustee of the National Videogame Museum. So a fully-funded and supported position exploring the issues around game preservation, cultural impact, and legacy are very close to my heart.

About the Studentship

The 3.5-year studentship, funded by the Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities (SGSAH), offers a tax-free stipend of £21,805 per annum and includes a six-month placement with National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh. This hands-on experience is vital; it ensures the research is grounded in the reality of museum curation while benefiting from the world-leading expertise of the Abertay Game Lab and the UofG Games and Gaming Lab.

The project will ask fundamental questions: What does it mean to collect a video game? How do we preserve code, documentation, and the living histories of developers? By answering these, the successful candidate will help us build a strategy that is flexible enough to keep pace with a rapidly changing industry.

An Open Call to Pioneers

I encourage any independent, driven researchers with a passion for gaming history to apply. This is a chance to be at the forefront of a movement that will define how our industry is viewed by the public and by future governments.

As we move toward the implementation of a national strategy for games, projects like this prove that Scotland is leading the way in professionalising the sector. I will continue to work alongside our academic and heritage partners to ensure that the work started here is just the beginning of a larger, national commitment to our digital legacy.

Application Details:

• Closing Date: 11 May 2026
• Stipend: £21,805 (Tax-free)
• Start Date: October 2026
• Apply here: Abertay University Jobs Page

Queries: Contact Dr Hailey Austin and/or Prof Robin Sloan.

Photo by Raymond Yeung on Unsplash

As expected of #AberTay university, we have #Eduroam or public WiFi (wants an email, or LinkedIn 🤮 ). Good info to have on the #SotMEU25 projector along with the preferred conference hashtag as we all filter into the lecture theatre.

My first time inside #AberTay university in years, despite living and working in the edge of #Dundee - here for the State of the Map (Europe) 2025 conference #OpenStreetMap #SotMEU25 https://2025.stateofthemap.eu/

Just registered for the #OpenStreetMap conference at #Abertay #Dundee, "State of the Map, Europe" starting Friday 14 November.

https://2025.stateofthemap.eu/#hero

Shame I missed the early bird discount. Also had to pay via PayPal and first two cards were declined 😒

Dundee’s Games Cluster in the Spotlight as GAME-ER Research Project Seeks Local Expertise

Everyone knows Dundee is the beating heart of Scotland’s games ecosystem, but how many studios are based in the city?

Researchers from Abertay University are calling upon the collective knowledge of the Dundee games community to help verify a comprehensive map of the city’s renowned games cluster.

The request comes as part of GAME-ER, a major European research project dedicated to understanding the dynamics of local and regional video game ecosystems. The project aims to provide policymakers and decision-makers with the knowledge and tools needed to foster and support thriving games clusters across the continent.

Leading the Dundee-focused element of the project is Martin Lynagh, a lecturer in game production at Abertay University and veteran of the Scottish games scene.

“We are looking to verify some work we have done in mapping the Dundee cluster,” Martin explained. “We actually used the excellent SGN directory as a starting point for this, so we’d love to get feedback from the community to ensure our data is as accurate and comprehensive as possible.”

The project’s goal is to create a detailed, publicly available resource that accurately reflects the network of studios, support organisations, and educational bodies that make up the Dundee ecosystem. This data is important for informing future policy and investment decisions, both in Scotland and across Europe.

GAME-ER: A Call for Community Knowledge

The GAME-ER team is asking anyone involved in Scotland’s games sector – from developers and artists to freelancers and business owners – to review their initial findings and provide feedback, corrections, or additions.

This is a direct opportunity for the community to contribute to a significant piece of academic research that will help shape the future support structures for the industry.

Editor’s Note: I’ve known Martin since the ‘before times’ myself, and this is exactly the kind of collaborative, data-driven work the ecosystem needs (And yes, Martin, I would very much like my copy of The Sopranos back at some point. Thx, B)

How To Get Involved

The research team has prepared a document listing the entities they have mapped so far. They are asking for community members to review it and offer their expert feedback.

You can find the current list of game developers in Dundee here. All feedback and updates should be directed to Martin here.

#Abertay #GAMEER #games #map #research #scotland

It's been a while since I've tried to do a whole day's work in a university library, and I am discovering that the arrival of modern office furniture (i.e. seats with adjustable height and back) makes it a far less painful experience than it used to be.

Thank you to #Abertay library (and thank you to whoever came up with #eduroam, for enabling me to work in other university's libraries!).