UWE Bristol alum wins at TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2024

Kieran De Sousa, a UWE Bristol BSc (Hons) Games Technology graduate, has won a top video game industry award.

Kieran, who’s from Ascot, Berkshire, took first place in the Outstanding Graduate of the Year: Computer Games Technology category at this year's TIGA UK Games Education Awards 2024. The awards recognise excellence in learners and graduates, and teaching and research, from colleges and universities across the UK.

Kieran said: “I am incredibly humbled and honoured to have won this award. From when I first started studying my course, I have been aware of TIGA and the awards they host for education providers and students. I had always wanted to be nominated for their ceremony, so when I heard the news that I had been nominated, shortlisted, and then eventually won, I was absolutely elated. It is one of the biggest highlights of my time studying at university.”

Kieran graduated from UWE Bristol in 2024 and says the course has opened many doors in the industry: “My advice for anyone considering studying the course would be to really venture out and apply the skills you learn as much as you can. Opportunities to work on client projects, from VR, mobile, web development, etc. are all within the area of programming and tech skills we develop in Games Technology; working on these different projects really gives you great professional experience that is invaluable in your future career.”

Lloyd Savickas, Associate Director of (BSc) Digital Media and (BSc) Games Technology, said: “Well done to all our students and graduates who were shortlisted in these awards and a massive congratulations to Kieran, who should be incredibly proud of the amazing work he’s produced. Kieran has worked closely with all members of the Games Technology team and staff throughout UWE Bristol’s creative technology offerings, ranging from a number of client based project work, in his role as a student ambassador, and as an outspoken confident student rep. Kieran has been a pleasure to work with during his time here and we are all excited to see where he goes next and what he will bring to the creative technology sector.”

Each year UWE Bristol is an official host of the Global Game Jam (GGJ). Similar to a hackathon, the GGJ is the world's largest game creation event taking place around the globe boasting tens of thousands of participants (jammers) at hundreds of physical and virtual sites around the world. At UWE Bristol students from multiple subject areas come together to create games over a 48-hour period, and on several occasions the university has been the largest GGJ site in the UK.

UWE Bristol is also the home of competitive Esports gaming, represented professionally on a national level by the student led society Sea Stags. In their first three years as a society, they have competed in local, national and European championships and dominated the university Counter Strike scene. The Sea Stags were chosen as UWE Bristol's Society of the Year and as the most improved university by the National Students Esports in 2020.

As a TIGA accredited university course, UWE Bristol (BSc) Games Technology has previously won the TIGA award for Best Education Initiative and Talent Development and has been nominated for other categories over the years including Best Educational Institution.

For more information about the UWE Bristol BSc(Hons) Games Technology visit the UWE Bristol website.