Art of Possible - More Than Games

Event Description

Scotland's games heritage is recognised worldwide. From Lemmings to Grand Theft Auto, the country has helped shape some of the world’s best-known games and built a vibrant community of publishers, developers and indie studios.

But the games industry’s impact goes far beyond entertainment.

From education and training to fintech, healthcare and advanced manufacturing, games design methodologies and technologies are changing how organisations engage people, develop skills, test ideas and solve real-world problems.

In collaboration with the Scottish Games Network, we're bringing together Art of Possible x More Than Games for a special session exploring games beyond the consumer market. We'll discover how immersive environments, simulation, engagement mechanics and interactive design are creating solutions across different sectors.

From virtual worlds to real-world impact, join us to discover what other sectors can learn from the games industry – and where Scotland's games expertise will take us next.

What to Expect?

🎤 Lightning Talks – Hear from experts and discover how games expertise is being applied beyond entertainment.
💬 Panel Discussion & Q&A – Explore how games technologies and methodologies are creating real-world solutions across different sectors — and put your questions directly to the panel.

Why Attend?

🤝 Network with people from across industry, academia, business and technology.
👍 Connect with Glasgow's games community and wider innovation ecosystem.
🚀 Discover how games technologies, methodologies and expertise are creating new opportunities across different sectors.

Who is Speaking?

🎤 Brian Baglow - Founder and Director, Scottish Games Network [Chair].

Brian is an author, designer, founder and journalist with more than 25 years of experience in videogames. Starting his career as a writer at the legendary DMA Design, Brian helped bring Grand Theft Auto to life before moving to New York as part of the original Rockstar Games team.

In 2002, Brian founded Scotland’s first dedicated interactive agency, Indoctrimat, before establishing the Scottish Games Network in 2004. Today, the network brings together Scotland’s games and interactive ecosystem, spanning industry, academia, culture and the wider organisations supporting the sector.

Brian now works with creative and digital technology organisations to harness the transformative potential of games and interactive media. He created Scottish Games Week, the country’s first large-scale games event, and wrote Level Up Scotland, Scotland’s Games Action Plan – a blueprint for growing the sector and establishing games as a national priority.

🎤 Simon Meek, Writer & Director – Film & Video Games

Simon Meek is a BAFTA-winning writer, director and game designer whose work spans video games, film, theatre, installation and print. Working across traditional and interactive media, he creates immersive storyworlds that combine storytelling, visual experimentation, and audience engagement. 

His career has included a wide range of innovative projects, from working as Resident Game Designer at V&A Dundee to reimagining The 39 Steps, a digital adaption of the original man-on-the-run novel by John Buchan (1915). His surreal digital noir Beckett won a BAFTA Scotland award and is held in V&A Dundee’s permanent collection. Simon is Founder and Director of Not a subset and Co-founder and Director of Stacking Chairs, creating narrative-led video games from original IP that blend immersive theatre with third-person action-adventure and psychological drama.

🎤 Rachel Porteous, University of Glasgow

Rachel Porteous is an Affiliate at the University of Glasgow and a games historian whose work explores games, play and their relationship with culture and history. She is part of the university’s Games & Gaming Lab and involved in GRID – Games for Research and Interdisciplinary Dialogue, part of the InFrame project, exploring the potential of games within research and collaboration.

Her work includes a pioneering project recreating St Giles’ Cathedral as a historical video game, allowing audiences to explore its architectural evolution in an engaging and accessible way. Rachel is also the author of Man the Player: Recreation and Entertainment at the Court of James IV of Scotland, examining play and entertainment in early modern Scotland.

🎤 Lauren Hall, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Lauren Hall is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher and lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she teaches Ba Arts with Community. Her practice sits at the intersection of performance, social justice and disability arts, grounded in co-creation, accessibility and the belief that creative work can amplify marginalised voices and imagine more inclusive futures.

Lauren leads Afterlight, an immersive, interactive game for school students that uses gameplay to explore grief and build emotional literacy. She has presented her game design work at Creative Tech Scotland and received a Split Screen pitch award through the RCS Innovation Studio, which explores AI and digital innovation for performance.

🎤 Nick Lang, Creative Director at Pure Purpose DTX

Nick Lang is a multi-award-winning creative professional whose work explores the potential of digital therapeutics and immersive technologies to improve health and wellbeing. As Creative Director at Pure Purpose DTX, he is harnessing the power of video games and virtual reality to develop new medical digital therapies, particularly for neurodiverse people.

Nick was Creative Director of BLINNK and the Vacuum of Space, an award-winning VR game designed for autistic players, using immersive gameplay to build confidence and develop everyday skills.

Important Stuff

📍 Location: Glasgow Science Centre
📅 Date: Thursday 29 October
⏰ Time: 3 – 5 PM
🎟️ Tickets: Free (registration required)

About Art of Possible

Now in its 10th year, this award-winning series connects innovators, creatives, and industry leaders to explore how unexpected tech collaborations drive new ideas and solutions.

About Scottish Games Network

The Scottish Games Network is the umbrella organisation for Scotland’s games sector, bringing together industry, academia, culture and the wider organisations that support and promote Scotland’s games community.