PlayAway

Susie Buchan is Creative Producer who works across games, art and beyond in both physical and digital spaces. She is a member of Biome Collective and most recently co-produced Arcadia Night 2020 – an evening of online micro-talks, game demos and discussions from leading game designers and thinkers from across the industry.

Twitter: @susepicious | @arcadia_fest twitter

Andy designs games and immersive experiences with inclusivity at the forefront. He is also an award-winning generalist, creative consultant and director – working across several creative industries. Andy has most recently delivered for the likes of Sky, Nat Geo and Johnson & Johnson.

M is a VR “sitting-simulator” in which snippets of memories are discovered when light and shadows come to life. Orphaned shadows can be picked up and then become physical objects, which are used to alter a fragmented and abstract environment.

This mini-talk will explore some of the ways in which M’s demo was built with accessibility in mind, to make a better VR experience.

Website: FurryTailDragon.com

Twitter: FurryTailDragon

Currently conducting a PhD in Music at the University of Glasgow, his research investigates the world of live streaming and intends to act as a stimulus for greater scrutiny around this new medium. His latest work which focused on the socialites surrounding live streaming revealed an increasingly collective practice where a complex network of relationships is created between the different active parties. If this research has been conducted within a music paradigm, the findings can be transposed to other use of live streaming, including gaming.

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Charly Harbord works at Abertay University as well as doing a PhD on RPGs to enhance second language acquisition focussed on Mandarin and English. She wrote a chapter in ‘Digital Games and Language Learning’ and is an Applied Game Designer in Residence for Women in Games. Charly founded ‘The Kilted Otter Initiative’ a research-based Gaelic Game Jam.  She is looking forward to working on creating an app for Indigenous Languages with the members of First Nations.

The Kilted Otter Initiative is a research-based extended Gaelic game jam focusing on exploring Scottish heritage, culture and language and is open to anyone.  Created by Abertay University staff from the School of Design and Informatics and supported by MG ALBA and Women in Games, the project aims to create collaborative experiences and make games design and Gaelic accessible to all.  It will embed Gaelic within games ensure it is not lost from Scottish culture.

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Tess is an award winning Bristol, UK based composer for the screen. She made her orchestral recording debut at Air Lyndhurst Studios in London with her score for the video game Steampunk Riders. This work being one amongst many for orchestra, Tess has recorded her music with the likes of the London Session Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, The Budapest Art Orchestra, and The Bratislava Symphony. In 2017, a medley of her orchestral scores has been showcased in famous concert halls across the United Kingdom as part of the Heroes and Legends Tour with the Bournemouth Symphony. In October 2018, Tess worked with the composer, songwriter, and musical innovator Imogen Heap. Together they developed a project entitled, The Life of A Song, and as a result Tess composed, performed and produced on the highly successful single, Marble.Tess continues to write music for the screen, as well as a recording artist. In 2020 she debuted  her first LP, ‘_fractals’.

Website: tesstyler.com
Instagram: @tesstylermusic
Twitter: @tessmakesmusic

Websites:
slab.org
tidalcycles.org
post.lurk.org/@yaxu

YouTube: yaxu

Hi. I’m Thomas. I’m a stay at home dad; and I’m making a VR game based on the drawings of my kid.

He’s on the autism spectrum and doesn’t talk much – but he really likes to draw. The game is a 3rd person platformer centered around exploration, helping others and solving problems. If the game takes off – I want to donate part of the proceeds to autism awareness and acceptance.

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Thomas ‘Fletcher’ Kildren is a creative powerhouse from NYC, now living in the gritty Rust Belt. Trained as an illustrator, he made the jump to digital as a Photo Editor at the New York Post. He soon taught himself other disciplines like 3D modeling & animation. VR development has been his biggest achievement, as its the culmination of all his previous disciplines & his fervent hope is that ‘Booper, Get Home!’ will be the launch of his game dev career. He is currently juggling game dev while being a stay-at-home dad tending to a wife, 2 boys and a neurotic housecat.

Website: fletcherstudios.net
Twitter: @thomaskildren