A CLYDEBANK man has been shortlisted for a national video games award.

Will Hamilton, 41, from Dalmuir, is in the running for the Best Student Game category at the TIGA UK Games Education Awards.

His game, V-Art, was a project for his dissertation at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). Will recently graduated with first-class honours in BSc Computer Games Development.

The game acts as an accessible art gallery, taking players inside virtual reality (VR) recreations of famous paintings, such as Edvard Munch's The Scream.

The UWS alumnus designed the game to be accessible to all, considering how it controls, the potential for motion sickness, and adding audio descriptions and multi-language support.

(Image: University of the West of Scotland)

To play V-Art for free, go to https://twistdrabbit.itch.io/vart.

He said: "Accessibility is really important to me – I grew up with undiagnosed ADHD, and I have loved ones and friends who live with disabilities.

"If you want to see art, you have to be able to travel to where it is – and even then, you might not get to see it for long.

"I wanted to create a VR experience that anyone could use to enjoy real-world art.

(Image: University of the West of Scotland)

"The twist is, that V-Art sends them inside the picture and allows them to explore a 3D recreation of 2D art.

"I’m absolutely delighted to be nominated for a TIGA Award – I honestly didn’t think the game had a chance of making the shortlist, and I was quite taken aback to find out that it had."

Gavin Baxter, senior lecturer in Computer Games Development, said: “Will has produced something of an exceptional standard and I think, it’s fair to say, of commercial quality.

“He more than deserves this nomination, and I am delighted for him.

“At UWS, we pride ourselves in producing graduates who are ready to make an immediate impact in their chosen field – and Will is a great example of this. I look forward to watching his career go from strength to strength.”