Battle For Glasgow 2026: How Students Built One Of Scotland’s Largest Esports Events
When it comes to esports, and gaming in general, there is often a narrative that struggles to break through the stereotypes associated with competitive online gaming. Some have a view that esports remains confined to dark rooms, players disconnected from social groups, and niche online spaces. But student-led events like ‘Battle for Glasgow’ are working hard to challenge that perception. What began as separate university societies and rival student teams across Glasgow is quickly becoming something much larger: a live production built on community, creativity, and collaboration. Once you begin to look past the competition, you see an incredible collective effort of a student-led volunteer group, from players performing under pressure, production teams working behind the scenes to make the event as best as possible, commentators driving in-game narratives, and student communities gathering around a shared experience. Battle for Glasgow highlights what students are capable of building when they are given a stage to showcase their passion and ambition.
Cyberfeminism Now: Hopecore, Cyborgs, and the Platformed Self
There is something distinctly cyberfeminist about hopecore; the strange, dissonant meme format pairing low-resolution animals with WordArt affirmations and early, internet aesthetics. Its visual language recalls the surreal gloss of 1990s desktop environments, evoking a moment when the internet still felt unstable, open, and full of possibility. Yet hopecore is not utopian. It emerges from what Polyester mag describes as a “fragmented soup of life,” in which online culture mirrors a broader social drift toward disarray, and where existentialism and nihilism increasingly underpin everyday experience (Quin, 2026.).