The Scottish Games Network has announced the inaugural Hello World! Scottish Students Startup Summit, at the University of Glasgow’s Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre.
The one-day event, which has secured funding through the Scottish Government’s Ecosystem Fund, will bring together 200 students from across Scotland’s universities and colleges to answer a critical question: “Is starting my own games business in Scotland right for me?”
The initiative responds to explosive growth in games education that has outpaced traditional employment pathways. Recent analysis by TIGA, the UK video games industry trade association, reveals that undergraduate enrolment in games and animation courses has skyrocketed by 279% over the past decade, climbing from 4,065 students in 2013/14 to 15,450 in 2023/24.
The summit represents a strategic intervention in what industry observers identify as a critical bottleneck in Scotland’s games ecosystem. While the country’s games sector has experienced remarkable growth—with companies increasing from 15 in 2010 to 130 in 2024, a 767% rise—the pathway from graduation to business creation remains underdeveloped.
The Scottish Games Network is partnering with the University of Glasgow’s Games & Gaming Lab and the Scottish Games Education Network (SGEN) to deliver the summit. The Games & Gaming Lab, established in 2019, promotes cross-disciplinary research into games and gaming with over 300 members across the university’s four colleges.
SGEN, run by Dr Amanda Ford, a games lecturer at West College Scotland, operates as a network for those teaching games courses across Scotland, providing support and collaboration opportunities for educators and students.
Comprehensive Support Ecosystem
The Hello World! summit will provide students with direct access to Scotland’s entrepreneurial support infrastructure, including Business Gateway, Techscaler, Elevator UK, and various incubators and accelerators. Students will learn about funding opportunities such as the Converge Challenge, which is open to Scottish university students and faculty, and Scottish EDGE, Scotland’s largest business funding competition offering grants and loans from £10,000 to £150,000.
Scotland’s games industry has emerged as a significant economic contributor. The sector generated a Gross Value Added (GVA) of £188.5 million, representing an increase of £111 million over a decade, during which employment nearly doubled.
George Milliken, Digital Education Officer for Education Scotland, stated: “We are incredibly excited to launch the first Scottish Games Fest 2025 for schools. Games are a fundamental part of our young people’s culture, and they offer a uniquely powerful and engaging way to explore topics across the curriculum”.
The summit aims to provide students with practical guidance on business model development, pitching techniques, finding funding or co-founders, ideation processes, and monetisation strategies. By connecting students directly with support organisations while they are still studying, the initiative seeks to lower barriers to entrepreneurship and create a more sustainable pipeline of new studios.
The Scottish Games Network will coordinate travel via buses from all colleges and universities in Scotland offering games and games-related courses, ensuring accessibility for students across the country.
The inaugural Hello World! Scottish Students Startup Summit is scheduled for March 2, 2026.
