Here is your ultimate guide to the Abertay Digital Graduate Show as it celebrates 20 years

📸 Abertay University

One of Dundee’s biggest celebrations of gaming, digital creativity and emerging technology is returning next week as the Abertay Digital Graduate Show marks its 20th anniversary with its largest event yet.

Taking place from 14-16 May between 12pm and 4pm, the annual showcase will once again transform Abertay University’s Kydd Building into a huge interactive exhibition filled with student projects, playable demos, artwork and experimental technology. This year’s event will span two floors of Abertay’s National Centre for Excellence in Games Education, with more than 180 honours projects on display.

The exhibition has become one of Dundee’s most important creative showcases over the past two decades, giving visitors the chance to experience the next generation of talent emerging from the city’s world-renowned games and digital design sector. Industry professionals, students, families and members of the public are all invited to attend across the three days.

Visitors can expect everything from concept art and animation to virtual reality, applied games, 3D modelling, programming, UI/UX design and motion capture projects. Many of the exhibits will also feature playable experiences where attendees can directly interact with the work and meet the creators behind it.

A special evening reception will also take place on 15 May from 6.30pm until 9pm, welcoming industry guests, local partners and the public to celebrate the milestone event. Registration is required through Eventbrite.

Clare Brennan, lecturer in the Department of Games and Arts, described this year’s show as one of the strongest yet, saying the event has become one of Dundee’s most exciting creative showcases while highlighting the enormous range of technical and artistic talent developed at Abertay University.

Moonlit Offering - immersive world-building through 3D design

One of the projects featured this year is Moonlit Offering by Abigail Lochran, a highly detailed 3D environment exploring storytelling through open-world game design.

The project focuses on how environmental design can shape atmosphere and narrative while also showcasing real-time game engine workflows used across the industry.

Beetective - a mystery adventure set in a Caledonian forest

Ellie Powell’s Beetective transports players into a Victorian-inspired woodland mystery filled with quirky creatures and folklore influences. The short demo follows a timid bee detective investigating strange happenings in a Caledonian forest, blending charming artwork with detective storytelling mechanics.

Jack (Of What?) Trades - satire, secrets and multiple endings

Nicholas Smith’s Jack (Of What?) Trades is a satirical game set in a fictional version of 1950s America. Players choose from different archetypes and navigate an open-ended level filled with hidden truths, branching outcomes and layered storytelling that rewards curiosity and exploration.

Pushing graphics technology to the next level

Several projects this year focus on cutting-edge graphics and rendering technologies. Amir Sami’s research project investigates advanced lighting systems and neural denoising techniques designed to create cinematic-quality visuals in real-time environments without sacrificing performance.

Meanwhile, Jack Briggs’ Efficient Voxel Meshing and Rendering project explores high-performance voxel rendering using Vulkan and C++. The renderer is capable of handling massive voxel environments while using advanced optimisation systems and tools capable of importing Minecraft worlds and 3D models.

Games that react to human emotion

Ruairidh Booth’s Emotion-Based Gaming project explores how games could evolve to respond directly to player emotions in real time. Using facial tracking technology within Unreal Engine, the system dynamically changes lighting, environments and effects depending on emotional responses such as fear, happiness or sadness.

The project aims to create more immersive and personal gaming experiences by allowing the game world itself to adapt to the player’s mood.

Exploring accessibility and lived experience through games

Several projects also focus on health, accessibility and personal storytelling.

Snow White’s Inclusive Threat Modelling project examines accessible cybersecurity systems designed for people living with multiple sclerosis, prioritising simplicity, reduced cognitive load and privacy-focused authentication methods.

Eloise Salt’s autobiographical walking simulator Repeat After Me: It’s Not Your Fault You’re Sick explores the emotional and physical impact of being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes later in life. Through narration and environmental storytelling, the experience offers an intimate reflection on chronic illness and mental health.

Finn Link’s pixel-art RPG explores OCD through gameplay mechanics inspired by Undertale and analogue horror, using boss battles and visual storytelling to represent intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

Chaos, coffee shops and neon-noir action

Elsewhere at the show, Innes Aitken’s Untitled Coffee Game mixes frantic café management gameplay with chaotic multiplayer-inspired mechanics where players prepare coffee orders, unlock upgrades and experiment with new systems based on community feedback.

Sid Das’ Tatakai delivers a completely different experience, combining neon-noir visuals, vehicular traversal, parkour and melee combat inside a futuristic world inspired by Japanese mountain roads and cyberpunk architecture. Developed in Unreal Engine 5.6, the project explores how level design and environmental structure influence gameplay and emotional pacing.

Event information

The Abertay Digital Graduate Show 2026 takes place from 14-16 May between 12pm and 4pm at Levels 1 and 2 of the Kydd Building, Abertay University, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG.

Admission is free and open to the public. You can purchase tickets from Eventbrite here.