Protecting Our Legacy: Why This New PhD is the First Step Toward a National Collection for Scottish Games

I am delighted to welcome the announcement of a fully funded PhD research studentship, which is now open for applications. Developing a Framework for a National Collection of Scottish Games Heritage is a collaboration between Abertay University, the University of Glasgow, and National Museums Scotland (NMS). This is a significant milestone in our journey to treat games as a vital part of Scotland’s cultural identity and heritage.

For years, I have been advocating for a more concerted effort to capture and curate our industry’s history. From the bedroom-coding era to the high-end global productions of today, the Scottish story is unique. Yet, currently, out of 12 million artefacts in the National Museums Scotland collection, fewer than 200 relate to our Scottish games heritage. This is a gap we have to do far more to address.

A Strategic Mandate for Preservation

This studentship is not just an academic exercise; it is a strategic necessity. As I have highlighted through the More Than Games philosophy, games are the golden thread of the modern economy, but they are also a fragile cultural asset. With 87% of games from the 1980s and 1990s currently out of print, we are at risk of losing the very foundations of our success and misunderstanding our own contribution to Scotland’s digital legacy.

At SGN, we have worked with many of the organisations supporting this appointment, as well as others across Scotland’s cultural and heritage ecosystem. I am also a trustee of the National Videogame Museum. So a fully-funded and supported position exploring the issues around game preservation, cultural impact, and legacy are very close to my heart.

About the Studentship

The 3.5-year studentship, funded by the Scottish Graduate School of Arts and Humanities (SGSAH), offers a tax-free stipend of £21,805 per annum and includes a six-month placement with National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh. This hands-on experience is vital; it ensures the research is grounded in the reality of museum curation while benefiting from the world-leading expertise of the Abertay Game Lab and the UofG Games and Gaming Lab.

The project will ask fundamental questions: What does it mean to collect a video game? How do we preserve code, documentation, and the living histories of developers? By answering these, the successful candidate will help us build a strategy that is flexible enough to keep pace with a rapidly changing industry.

An Open Call to Pioneers

I encourage any independent, driven researchers with a passion for gaming history to apply. This is a chance to be at the forefront of a movement that will define how our industry is viewed by the public and by future governments.

As we move toward the implementation of a national strategy for games, projects like this prove that Scotland is leading the way in professionalising the sector. I will continue to work alongside our academic and heritage partners to ensure that the work started here is just the beginning of a larger, national commitment to our digital legacy.

Application Details:

• Closing Date: 11 May 2026
• Stipend: £21,805 (Tax-free)
• Start Date: October 2026
• Apply here: Abertay University Jobs Page

Queries: Contact Dr Hailey Austin and/or Prof Robin Sloan.

Photo by Raymond Yeung on Unsplash