Biome Collective and Arcadia present Big Telly Jam at CoSTAR’s Realtime Lab
The CoSTAR Realtime Lab at Water’s Edge is set to host a transformative one-day workshop on 6 May 2026, as Biome Collective and Arcadia join forces for the Big Telly Jam. Supported by Creative Scotland, the event is designed to dismantle the silos between traditional art, game design, film, and virtual production.
While the ‘jam’ format is a staple of the games industry, this iteration is specifically engineered to be inclusive, low-pressure, and high-impact. It invites artists, filmmakers, and technologists to step out of their comfort zones and explore how real-time tools can be used for more than just consumer entertainment.
Strategic Analysis: The Blueprint in Action
At SGN, we have long advocated for the More Than Games approach – the idea that games technology is a force multiplier for the entire creative economy. The Big Telly Jam is a living example of this theory. It moves the conversation away from making ‘products’ and toward exploring possibilities.
A Space for Playful Experimentation
The workshop focuses on paper prototyping and low-fi ideation, ensuring that technical expertise is not a barrier to entry. Participants will have the rare opportunity to see virtual production facilities in action, using the same tools that power modern cinema and high-end gaming to test their own creative concepts.
Big Telly Jam shows what is possible when great facilities, creative talent, and the right partners come together, says Malath Abbas:
Dundee has a rare combination of artistic energy, technical skill, and ambitious people. Thanks to support from Creative Scotland, CoSTAR Realtime Lab, and our partners, we can open up access to these tools and create a day where artists and designers can test ideas, collaborate, and be inspired.
Susie Buchan of Biome Collective echoes this sentiment, emphasising the social and collaborative nature of the day:
We want the day to be fun, low-pressure, and explorative for everyone taking part! It’s an opportunity for people to try something new and connect with creatives from different disciplines to their own.
Breaking the Silos
For the Scottish games community, participation in events like the Big Telly Jam is essential. It prevents the insularity that often plagues our sector and opens up new professional pathways. By working alongside poets, performers, producers, and visual artists, game designers can find fresh inspiration, new applications and potential new partners for their technical skills.
The event is open to emergent creators from across Scotland, and significantly, a limited number of paid participation places are available. This ensures that financial barriers do not prevent the most innovative voices from being in the room. The day concludes with an opportunity for participants to pitch their ideas for a cash prize, providing a tangible incentive for the most promising collaborative concepts.
Join the Movement
The Big Telly Jam represents the future of the Dundee cluster – a place where the lines between play, performance, and technology are permanently blurred. We encourage all SGN readers to look at this not as another ‘dev ‘event, but as a vital opportunity to be part of the cross-sectoral future of the Scottish economy.
Event Details:
- Date: Wednesday 6 May 2026
- Time: 9:30am – 5:00pm
- Location: CoSTAR Realtime Lab, Water’s Edge, Dundee
Book your tickets here: Big Telly Jam via Humanitix
Learn more about the hosts: Biome Collective | Arcadia Festival