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“You’re Expensive for Just Dealing With Pronouns and Wokeness”: The Real Cost of Workplace Inclusion
In a rapidly changing world, businesses on the surface seem to be stepping back from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and investments, while much our newly emerging talent in the job market is specifically seeking working environments with proven track records of prioritising the emotional and psychological safety of their people. Are inclusive practices really "too expensive" for business or have we been lead to think about this from the wrong angle?
This talk asks and seeks to answer the questions:
- Within this precarious market, are short-term savings costing us greatly in the long run, and are we missing out on opportunities to attract critical talent into our businesses by discounting inclusive working practices as simply "pronouns and wokeness"?
- What is the cost for companies who opt not to invest in people-first mechanisms and support, materially, financially, legally, reputationally and emotionally?
- Are inclusive practices really "too expensive" for business or have we been lead to think about this from the wrong angle?
Session Takeaway
- Taking inclusion seriously as a strategic component of business planning and analysis.
- The different ways in which overlooking, or down playing, the important of inclusive practices in the workplace, costs the business as a whole.
- The value of investing in people today paying dividends in products, reputation, and talent in the future.
BAFTA Games: How We Can All Level the Playing Field
Improving social mobility within the games industry is important now more than ever before. But how can we all play our part in levelling the playing field? In this talk, you will gain insights from other industries on how they identified issues and worked to rectify them as well as receive the opportunity to ask questions yourself. You will also get a short live demonstration of BAFTA’s Invisible Barriers resource, an interactive guide to assist hirers in the screen industries to support individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds.
Session Takeaway
- What actions have been taken to improve social mobility in other creative industries?
- How can we all play a part in the games industry when it comes to social mobility and why is it important?
- What is BAFTA doing in this area?
Dropping the Mask: Neuro-Inclusion for Wellbeing, Productivity and Staff Retention
Game development has long been recognized as a neurodiverse industry, but when neurodivergent people don’t feel supported or are afraid to be authentic to themselves in the workplace this can lead to ‘masking’ (hiding of neurodivergent traits that may be stigmatized) and burnout. In turn this has a detrimental effect on productivity and staff retention. Lab42 Games Studio Director Terry Goodwin, and Studio Neurodiversity Champion Cindy Archer explain what steps Lab42 has taken to create a safe and supportive workplace for its neurodivergent community to ‘unmask’ and reach their true potential.
Session Takeaway
- Our industry is far above the average for neurodiverse workers, and that’s okay
- An understanding of how common causes of neurodiversity related inefficiencies in a development environment are affecting your margins, and your staff retention
- Practical suggestions of small, medium and large changes you can make to your studio to support neurodivergent people and unlock their potential
How to Grow a Game Studio Through Challenging Times
Launched in 2015 by Lionhead alumni, Glowmade has grown to become a team of 60+ developers - but the journey has not always been easy. The Guildford-based game studio has weathered storms, made mistakes and learned from them, but is now thriving with the studio growing in size, and working on an exciting new IP which will be published by Amazon Games.
In this session Glowmade Studio Head Jonny Hopper presents a candid story about how to build and grow a studio through turbulent times, and how embracing core values and creating a positive culture is essential to success.
Session Takeaway
- Launching and growing a studio
- Adapting a business throughout turbulent times
- Defining company values
- The importance of staying honest and humble
Key Insights and Takeaways from My Kickstarter Journey
Last year, I embarked on a Kickstarter campaign and encountered a steep learning curve that encompassed everything from the critical importance of pre-campaign initiatives to the intricacies of setting up a compelling preview page, designing the page and rewards, and strategically planning stretch goals. I’m giving this talk to highlight several dos and don'ts and share these lessons and insights with anyone considering launching their own Kickstarter, aiming to equip you with the knowledge and strategies to navigate your campaign more effectively.
Session Takeaway
- Strategies to effectively build and engage a community before launching a Kickstarter campaign, including targeted advertising and email list growth techniques.
- Best practices for designing a captivating Kickstarter page, setting attractive rewards, and planning stretch goals to motivate backers.
- Insights into managing the live campaign through social media, cross-promotions, and navigating post-campaign logistics for continued success.
Stuck in the Middle With You: Translating Between Business and Creativity as a Producer
A game producer’s role is an ill defined thing: Is it operational? Is it commercial? Is it creative? Is it organisational? Is it facilitation? Is it all of the above?
Drawing on a 17-year career ranging from work-for-hire production, game design and indie games, ustwo games Lead Producer John Lau sketches out a way of understanding the producer’s role not just as an organiser, but as a translator between two uneasy allies: the creativity of a game team, and the logistical realities of the businesses that employ them.
Session Takeaway
- Developing a commercial literacy helps a producer understand their stakeholder’s problems. Understanding your stakeholder’s problems allows you to do your job better.
- Understand that the ideal situation for a business is for things to be perfectly predictable. Not only is that impossible, it’s the opposite of what your team needs to be creative.
- Reframe conflicts between commercial and creative as mismatches of language: always try to translate the problems of one into the language of the other.
The Art of Leading Leaders
Executives and senior leaders are required to manage people who are experts in their respective fields, bringing together a variety of diverse (and often conflicting) points of view, and enabling them to output the highest quality work collaboratively.
This is no small feat. And not something most leaders are explicitly trained to do.
In this session, we’ll explore six key competencies that will allow you to confidently lead people who know more than you, in ways that empower everyone to succeed.
Session Takeaway
Learn how to:
- Use Trust as a framework for feedback and management
- Ask the right questions to unlock your team’s full potential
- Understand how small tweaks in your behaviour have an outsized impact on your team
The Games Industry 2024 Survival Guide
'Survive 2024' is a phrase that's been discussed a lot in the early months of this year, but now we've reached the halfway point (or at least we will have by the time we're in Brighton), it's worth sharing what we have learned in order ensure more businesses make it safely and comfortably to 2025.
GamesIndustry.biz editor-in-chief James Batchelor invites an array of industry veterans and up-and-coming entrepreneurs - both in the room, and via video - to share their best advice for games businesses looking to weather this tumultuous time in the industry - from how to make your teams more efficient, to how to future-proof your talent base and your product pipeline, and more.
Session Takeaway
- Hear advice from the best in the business on how to fortify your business in tough times
- Learn more about how successful games studios have dealt with the many difficulties presented by 2024 so far
- Leave with an optimistic outlook on how the industry and your business can thrive in 2025 and beyond
The Realities of Starting a Game Studio - From Knowing Nothing to Too Much
Join us for an intimate fireside chat with Abu, the visionary founder of Surgent Studios, where a simple idea blossomed into an immersive game. Abu will recount the journey from concept to shipping, exploring the challenges and triumphs of scaling a studio from a team of four to forty. Delve into the intricacies of running a studio, from securing funding to fostering a culture of innovation.
Explore The Legacy of Kenzera: Zau, a game that delves deep into themes of grief and loss within African culture and mythology. Discover how personal experiences influenced its mechanics and art style, infusing raw emotion into interactive gameplay while drawing inspiration from diverse traditions and folklore.
Whether you're an aspiring developer or a seasoned professional, this chat promises to reignite your passion for game development and inspire your own journey. Join Abu as he reveals the realities, challenges, and joys of bringing dreams to life in the dynamic world of gaming.
Session Takeaway
- Understand Game Development: Learn how games are made, from idea to launch, handling challenges, growing a team, and fostering creativity.
- Personal Stories Influence: See how personal experiences and culture shape games, affecting themes, mechanics, art, and storytelling.
- Get Inspired: Feel encouraged to start making games with practical tips, real stories, and a focus on storytelling's power in gaming.
The Truth About The 4 Day Work Week
This session is not about highlighting the obvious benefits of a 4 Day Work Week. It's about the rarely discussed negatives.
After running an 18 month 4 Day Work Week trial, BULKHEAD made it a permenant benefit for their staff. The 4 Day Work Week isn't perfect, but you'll struggle to find an article, paper, or report of anyone shedding light on the down sides of running a 4 Day Work Week. In this session Joe Brammer the Studio Lead of BULKHEAD opens the books and discusses all the gory details of their 18 month trial and subsequently how they graduated from trial to permenancy.
This talk is for everyone who has even the slightest bit of intrigue in changing from the 9-5 Monday to Friday that the working world opted into in the 1920s. Not only does Joe discuss their findings and results, Joe will also be sharing the alternatives they considered in an effort to 'rethink' the way we work.
With such an evocative topic, there will be lots of time at the end for questions.
Session Takeaway
- Fundamentals of The 4 Day Work Week
- A clear picture of the negative impacts The 4 Day Work Week
- How BULKHEAD chose to roll out their trial and subsequent new contracts
- Easy mistakes to make!
