#into-games — Public Fediverse posts

Free ‘Get Into Games’ Careers Day Heads to Dundee This September

Non-profit games careers organisation Into Games has announced Get Into Games: Dundee 2026, a dedicated one-day careers event designed to help young people break into the video games industry.

Taking place on Saturday 26 September 2026 at Water’s Edge in Dundee, the free event is aimed at young people aged 12–21, offering direct access to professional studios, academic pathways, and hands-on technical workshops.

Opening Clear Pathways into Games Careers

Breaking into game development often feels opaque for aspiring talent, students, and career changers. Organised by national skills charity Into Games – an organisation dedicated to building fairer, more accessible routes into interactive careers – the Dundee event is structured to demystify the entry process.

Throughout the day, attendees can engage directly with developers, universities, and training providers to understand the specific skills, portfolios, and requirements needed to secure entry-level roles.

The programme features:

• Careers Showcase & Stalls: Meet teams from leading UK studios and training providers, including Dundee-based powerhouses Outplay Entertainment and Ninja Kiwi, alongside academic institutions offering specialised games courses.
• Sector Talks Programme: Sessions led by working industry professionals covering core disciplines, ranging from level design and programming to game audio.
• 1-to-1 Careers Cafe: Dedicated 15-minute mentoring slots giving attendees personal, direct feedback from industry veterans on their portfolios and career directions.
• Entry-Level Workshops: Practical, beginner-friendly sessions focused on initial game concepts and getting started with modern game development engines.
• Playable Indie Showcase: A dedicated games zone where attendees can play unreleased, in-development titles from local Dundee indie creators.

Industry and Public Support

The initiative is backed by a cross-section of industry partners and public bodies, with headline support from SAE Institute, Ubisoft Reflections, Creative Scotland, Ninja Kiwi, and Outplay Entertainment.

By bringing education providers, commercial studios, and aspiring creators together under one roof, the showcase aims to ensure that Dundee’s next generation of talent understands exactly what employers are looking for and how to take their first tangible steps into the ecosystem.

Event Details & Registration

Admission is completely free, though advance registration is required to secure priority booking for the 1-to-1 mentoring sessions and follow-up guidance resources.

• Date: Saturday 26 September 2026
• Time: 11:00 – 16:00 BST
• Venue: Water’s Edge, Camperdown Street, Dundee
• Target Audience: Young people aged 12–21, parents, and educators
• Cost: Free (registration required)
• Registration: Book your ticket via the official Get Into Games Dundee Event Page

Into Games Secures Amazon Funding for Dundee ‘Waypoint’ Programme

The Scottish Games Network wholeheartedly welcomes the announcement that national charity Into Games has secured significant funding, with support from Amazon, to launch Waypoint programme, a new project dedicated to supporting young people from working-class and disadvantaged backgrounds into careers in the games industry in Dundee and Tayside.

This is a vital, targeted initiative. The Waypoint programme is designed to tackle the systemic barriers to entry by providing young people with the essential experience, skills, and industry connections needed to access the sector. By focusing on communities that are too often overlooked, this programme is set to foster a more diverse and equitable talent pool for Scotland’s digital future.

A Necessary and Welcome Investment

The investment by Amazon and the dedicated work of the Into Games team address a crucial need in the ecosystem: creating pathways that do not rely on existing professional networks or financial privilege. We recognise and applaud the commitment to tackling social mobility challenges head-on.

However, the rapid growth and complexity of the Scottish games ecosystem now offers every new initiative, especially those with funding, the opportunity to act as a multiplier, and link with some of the other great work around games happening across Scotland.

The Opportunity for a Unified Strategy

While the launch of Waypoint is a huge win for Dundee, it lands within an increasingly collaborative national framework, offering new opportunities for synergy. It runs alongside established national programmes and new ecosystem initiatives, including:

• The Games Action Plan: Providing the overarching national strategy to coordinate all talent and economic growth efforts – and build a national educational framework for games.
• National Educational Support: The existing work of Education Scotland and Skills Development Scotland (SDS), which runs the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) programme, provides a foundational structure for engaging young people.
• Ecosystem Initiatives: SGN’s Hello World! Programme (pre-university entrepreneurship), the Scottish Games Education Symposium (SGEN/SGN), the SGDA Incubator, and GameSpace’s Levelling-Up Programme (company formation and growth).

Offering a Path to Partnership

Historically, many significant initiatives and events within the Scottish games sector have operated in isolation, resulting in fragmentation and missed opportunities for shared learning.

The current focus on games in Scotland offers an opportunity for collaboration between Into Games, Amazon, and established ecosystem partners – particularly the Scottish Games Education Network (SGEN), Education Scotland, SDS, DYW and more.

By aligning resources, sharing knowledge, and ensuring that the young people in the Waypoint programme can seamlessly transition into broader educational or entrepreneurial opportunities, we can ensure that this investment is not a stand-alone project, but a robust, integrated element of the national strategy.

This is an opportunity to prove that the “community-first” approach is not just a slogan, but a commitment to ensuring every single pathway into our industry is clearly defined and connected. We look forward to exploring collaboration with Into Games and Amazon to help make the Waypoint programme a resounding success.

To find out more, visit the Into Games website.

#careers #dundee #excludedBackgrounds #games #intoGames #scotland #youngPeople