A University of the West of Scotland graduate has been named as Best Educator at the prestigious Scottish gaming industry event, the Scottish Games Awards 2023.

Dr Thomas Hainey, PhD/MSc Advanced Computer Systems Development (2006/2010), faced strong competition from Glasgow Caledonian University, Edinburgh College, Abertay University, Fife College and Heriot-Watt University picking up the award at a spectacular celebration of excellence, innovation, and extraordinary talent on Thursday 2 November 2023.

Thomas commented: “I’m absolutely delighted to win Best Educator at the Scottish Games Awards 2023. It was a fantastic night celebrating the talent in the Scottish Games Ecosystem.”

“I am unable to express what an honour it is to receive such an award and a special thanks to my brilliant team at UWS, particularly Gavin Baxter and my friend Dr Amanda Ford for making it an unforgettable evening.”

Thomas is Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader of the BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development degree at UWS, one of only two Scottish universities to be TIGA-accredited, ensuring graduates receive games industry relevant skills. TIGA (The Independent Game Developers’ Association) is a trade association representing the business and commercial interests of some video and computer game developers in the UK and Europe.

This Scottish Games Awards ceremony, held at Platform, Glasgow, showcased the industry’s finest achievements in various categories and recognised the exceptional contributions of those making an impact across the Scottish games ecosystem.

Over 110 entries were received across the 15 categories, recognising and celebrating the achievement and success of individuals, organisations and games from across the whole Scottish Ecosystem.

The importance of Scotland’s talent pipeline across colleges, and universities and the value of new talent in the industry was demonstrated by Rising Star category which received over 20 entries, with several nominees receiving multiple nominations, followed by Educator Of The Year category, with over a dozen much-loved teachers, lecturers and heads of course all receiving multiple nominations.