Play Expo 2026: Showcasing Student Creativity and Industry Skills 🎮
On 3rd and 4th October, students and staff attended Play Expo, one of the UK's biggest gaming conventions, giving visitors the opportunity to explore the exciting world of gaming, technology, and game development.
The event provided a fantastic platform to showcase the college's gaming facilities, industry-standard equipment, and, most importantly, the incredible work being produced by our students.
Bringing game development to life
Throughout the two-day event, visitors were able to experience a range of equipment and technology used by students as part of their studies. The college team demonstrated some of the tools and resources available on our courses, giving attendees an insight into the skills and technologies used within the games industry.
The stand attracted gamers, aspiring developers, and industry enthusiasts, all keen to learn more about the opportunities available at the college and the exciting projects being undertaken by students.
Student games take centre stage
One of the highlights of the event was the opportunity for students to showcase games they had designed and developed themselves.
Visitors were invited to play the games, providing valuable feedback directly to the student creators. This gave students the chance to observe how players interacted with their games, identify areas for improvement, and gain real-world experience of the testing process.
Receiving feedback from members of the public is an important part of game development, helping students to refine their ideas and further develop their skills in programming, design, storytelling, and user experience.
Valuable industry experience
Taking part in Play Expo allowed students to experience first-hand what it is like to present their work at a public event.
Throughout the weekend, students had the opportunity to:
Showcase their games to a wide audience
Gather feedback from play testers
Discuss their creative process with visitors
Develop confidence and communication skills
Gain insight into the wider gaming industry
Events like Play Expo help bridge the gap between education and industry, giving students valuable experience that can support their future careers in game development and creative technologies.
A fantastic weekend of gaming
The event was a brilliant celebration of creativity, innovation, and gaming culture. From classic arcade games and modern releases to independent game developers and industry exhibitors, Play Expo offered something for everyone.
The enthusiasm shown by our students throughout the weekend was a true reflection of the talent, dedication, and passion within our gaming and creative courses.
Student Perspective
My Experience at Play Expo
What I did
When I had arrived at Play Expo Blackpool, I was stunned by how large the venue was, arcade machines scatters along the walls, stalls filled with too many things I wanted to buy, and the college stall was set up at the back of the main vendor area. To start off with before the storm hit, I decided to check out all the stalls and help set up the VR Treadmill, Driving Rig and the Computer that would eventually be used to showcase the student-made games.
Once the crowds started forming, I was busy helping with the VR Treadmill and Driving Rig, helping get people in the devices, set them up playing games, and then swapping them out with the next person in line for a turn. However, the highlight of the event was being able to show off my own indie game that I have been developing for around a month now, with the version at the event being the first official game demo.
How successful was it for me and my game
By taking my game demo to the event, I managed to get tons of great feedback and managed to discover a lot of the most obvious and damaging flaws in the game currently. Whilst I was at the event, around 10 people had played my game, with possibly more playing it after I had left the venue. Some players decided to try and break the game, showing me that there was gaps in the world borders, issues with terrain collisions and one of the most glaring issues was that players could climb walls and walk wherever they wanted, which was not intended.
Other players would play the game as intended, exploring the mountain in the dark of night, however, they would also find issues such as not being able to find their way around the map easily. But everyone at the event had their positives to say, praising the visual design of the game and the jumpscares that are currently in the demo, I even managed to make some people jump in their seats towards the end of the game.
This experience helped to gather plenty of critical feedback on my game, the positives and the negatives, which now lets me go back and fix what is broken. But as for me, this has led to multiple opportunities such as showcasing my game and supporting lessons in 3D Modelling and Game Environments, as well as giving a massive boost to my Linked In Profile, which will help me in the future when searching for a career.
What impact has it had on my education
Education wise, the game that I showcased at the event is going to be my Dissertation Artefact, which means that early on, I have received feedback on how to fix the game before having to start researching with it. Another benefit to my education is learning how to collect valuable feedback and turn that feedback into a list of usable changes, refinements and fixes that will support me in certain assignments and future games I produce.
Along with showing off my game, I also helped with the set up and running of the VR Treadmill and the Driving Rig, which means that I now know how to work with those two devices in the future for my own projects, or helping with other events upcoming. One final benefit to mention would be that I had the opportunity to get to know the tutors better, since most of the time you only see them when they are teaching, it’s nice to see a more casual, very nerdy side to them when at an event like that.
Would I recommend it to other students
I would absolutely recommend Play Expo to any student, even if you aren’t a game development student, even if you aren’t a computing student, because Play Expo is rated E for Everyone. I saw such a mix of different people come and go from the event, with such a friendly community feel, with so many cool games on display and so many cool stalls to buy from.
I will always recommend getting into a bit of game development on the side just for some fun or a hobby, and if anyone has any game that they are wanting to have play tested or promoted, Play Expo is an incredible opportunity for that, and the college are always happy to facilitate student’s games.
Myles Green - DIGITAL AND BUSINESS STUDENT
Thank you to everyone involved
We would like to thank all of the students and staff who represented the college at Play Expo and helped make the event such a success.
A special congratulations goes to the students who proudly showcased their games and engaged with members of the public throughout the weekend. Their professionalism, creativity, and enthusiasm were a fantastic representation of the college community.
We look forward to seeing how the feedback gathered at the event helps shape future projects and cannot wait to see what our talented students create next. 🎮✨