Finlay Forsyth has been drawing since he was 14. Now 26, he's spent over a decade honing his craft as a concept artist, but for a long time, the games industry felt like a world he was watching through a window. Growing up in Scotland, Finlay faced the kind of barriers that don't show up on a portfolio. Conferences, networking events, the informal face-time that opens doors, all of it cost money he didn't have. The skills were there. The work was there. What was missing was a way to be seen. That's exactly why he applied to the IG50. "Too often I've been unable to attend networking and games conferences simply from not being able to afford anything," he says. "IG50 gave me a chance to get myself out there and be seen." His portfolio centred on his university honours project, Fantasy Realms Reimagined, a body of work that showcased everything from character design to environment and prop concepts, using Photoshop, Procreate, Blender, Maya, and Unreal Engine. The work was great - it just needed to be seen. Winning the IG50 gave him that moment. "The number of doors IG50 has opened for me is staggering," he says. The connections he made with other working-class developers in the cohort were just as valuable as the industry access. Within the year, he landed freelance work as a concept artist and has since begun developing an unannounced indie title of his own. His advice to anyone thinking about applying is simple: "Go for it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain."