The songwriter beating men at their own videogame

Songwriter Siobhan Wilson will be flying the flag for Scotland – and women – later this week at the international gaming Oscars.

The Borders-based musician has been shortlisted for Best Original Song at the Game Audio Network Guild (GANG) awards in San Francisco.

Siobhan’s song from Planet of Lana has already earned her a full score commission for another video game.

She said: “I am so excited just to be going to the GANG awards.”

While women are under-represented as working songwriters – with the latest PRS copyright collective’s figures showing around 17 percent of members being female – the gender imbalance is even more apparent in video game composing with a little over two percent being women.

Siobhan said: “I’m so proud to represent female game composers.

“Across the general music industry, songwriters, composers and producers are roles predominantly held by men – and video game composers who are women are even thinner on the ground.

“For me, this is why it’s so important to keep striving to do as well, if not better, than the men around me who are in the same job.”

Prior to lockdown, Siobhan was one of the country’s rising music stars, having released several acclaimed albums and toured with the likes of Suzanne Vega and The Proclaimers.

Without any opportunities to perform – or earn an income – during the pandemic, she focused on learning sound engineering and cinematic composing at home for film and video games.

A move from Glasgow to the Scottish Borders – with lower rents – allowed her to build up a home studio and use the countryside for inspiration.

From her Coldstream flat, Siobhan’s orchestrations began to attract interest, with Los Angeles-based television, film and games composer Takeshi Furukawa inviting her to contribute an original song for his project, Planet of Lana.

Her song, Horizons, has now been shortlisted for this month’s GANG awards, along with tracks from video games including Mortal Kombat 1 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Siobhan, who is a classically trained cellist and pianist, said: “The last year has been so exciting for me.

“Going to the ceremony is great for my career as I’ll be able to meet other composers, directors and game companies while I’m there.

“I’m already doing the entire score for a new game called The Heirloom, and I’m over the moon.”

Siobhan credits much of her recent success on her new rural surroundings in the Scottish Borders, as well as her dog, MacTavish.

She added: “I have written my best work since moving here.

“You get this wonderful feeling of isolation whenever you want it – it’s an inspiring place to go out and walk MacTavish and come back with ideas and melodies.”

To help her continue working from Coldstream while building up an international reputation, local agency South of Scotland Enterprise has been providing business support and advice.

Jayne Murdoch is the organisation’s coach for women, and she hopes Siobhan will be an inspiration for others looking for careers in music.

She explained: “The more we can attract people like Siobhan to come and work here the better.

“Siobhan has quickly become part of the community and can act as a role model for others in the creative industries.

“She has shown that there is much more you can do in music than just join a band and play concerts.”

The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment is the trade body for the video games industry.

It said it had several initiatives to improve opportunities for women within the industry.

A spokesperson told BBC Scotland News: “Building an equal, diverse and inclusive games industry is a key priority for the UK games sector.

“We actively encourage games businesses who are members of the pledge to continually strive to meet the commitments, but more importantly, embed the journey of building a more inclusive workforce throughout all the strands of their business.”

The 22nd GANG Awards take place on Thursday during the international Game Developer Conference.