The Games Education Summit will convene studios and educators to discuss how we can bring through the next generation of games professionals – and support them on their career journeys.
Thursday Mar 17th 2022: The UK games industry is facing a major talent shortage, with Ukie recently reporting that some 2,000 roles need to be filled.
So where will the UK’s games studios find that talent, now and in the future?
Educators at Further and Higher Education levels clearly have an important role to play in helping maintain a flow of well-trained games talent into entry level jobs and over 7,000 videogames degree students are expected to graduate in 2022.
But how are studios, universities and educators working together to ensure graduates are fully prepared for a career in games in 2022 and beyond? And what are the roles that studios are finding particularly hard to fill?
Earlier this year, 29% of UK employees reported they want to change jobs, so how will this ‘Great Resignation’ impact games companies and how are studios and educational institutions changing their working practices to offer genuine flexible working and learning environments?
And as wellbeing and a better work/life balance become ever-more important to individuals, what can studios and education do to better support their staff and students?
These are the key issues currently facing games and education – and will be tackled head on at the upcoming Games Education Summit (April 21st-22nd, Sheffield Hallam University).
Speakers and panellists from the UK’s leading studios, universities and further education organisations will come together to discuss and debate how the UK’s games industry can shore up its talent pipeline and support students and employees. Speakers include:
Aurore Dimopoulos, Unity
Charlie Hargood, Bournemouth University
Chris Windmill, University of Derby
Dan Dudley, Grads in Games
Dom Shaw, Ukie
Doug Brown, Falmouth University
Finlay Pearston, Abertay University
Gina Jackson OBE, Game Dev Bootcamps
Ian Goodall, Aardvark Swift
Jake Habgood, Sumo Digital
James Butcher, Epic
Jayne Morgan, Exient
Jess Gaskell, Media Molecule
Karen Hedger, AIM Group
Leon Killin, Sumo Digital
Liz Prince, Amiqus
Liz Wright, No More Robots
Marcia Deakin, Next Gen Skills Academy
Maria Stukoff, University of Salford
Matt Wilson, Cloud Imperium
Peter Howell, Portsmouth University
Rick Gibson, BGI
Rosie Taylor, Safe In Our World
Tamsin O’Luanaigh, nDreams
Victoria Zamperoni, Mental Health Foundation
Tickets for the Summit are priced at just £125. As well as enjoying two days of thought-provoking and inspirational talks, delegates will also have plenty of opportunity for networking. They are also invited to attend the National Videogames Museum on the evening of April 21st where the Grads In Games Awards will be presented.
Tickets are available here – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/games-education-summit-2022-tickets-227031586587
Students are welcome to attend for free.
About the BGI
The BGI is a national voice for videogame culture, heritage and education which empowers people from all backgrounds, especially women, BAME, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and from disadvantaged backgrounds, to:
- Play through accessible and creative experiences that engage and inspire
- Collaborate through inclusive communities, research, discussions and teamwork
- Learn through informal, formal and vocational learning
Our charity celebrates and interrogates games culture for everyone through the National Videogame Museum, our Collection, our research into games preservation and our festivals such as GameCity. We run award-winning formal and informal learning programmes such as Pixelheads in person and online for schools and families. We run vocational courses and the Games Education Summit and we co-founded and organise the Games Careers Week Festival for young people, their parents and educators. For more details about the BGI’s mission and programmes, please visit: http://www.thebgi.uk/