Click a track to filter sessions
FREE - Indie BootCamp
A Hype-Free Examination of Generative AI in Videogames
Depending on your perspective, generative AI for games is something you're either incredibly hyped for, or sick of hearing about it. There's a lot of hype surrounding generative AI for games, but is there any substance? There are a myriad of tools emerging that offer to democratise development, but is adopting them going to introduce unnecessary risk to production? If you use a GPT plugin, will the game still be accepted on Steam? Does it actually save us any money in the long run?
This talk will provide a grounded, and hype-free overview of the current state of the art in generative AI. How these systems work, what tools are available, and what benefits and risks can emerge by adopting them into a production pipeline and later trying to publish the final product. The goal is to arm attendees with a greater knowledge of this technology trend, and how best to approach these tools and services in current and future projects.
Session Takeaway
- Understand the current state of generative AI developments and what impact it can and will have on specific areas of production.
- Learn what factors to be aware of when using a generative AI tool that could introduce additional costs, create legal issues or impede publication.
- Develop a broader understanding of the potential long-term benefits and risks of using generative AI tools in production.
Designing Games for Influencers (and Why that Might Not be the Best Idea)
Unbelievable exposure, countless eyes on your product and skyrocketing sales - whether on YouTube or Twitch, getting your game into the hands of the biggest names in the influencer and streaming ecosystem remains the holy grail for many game developers, especially those without the clout of a massive marketing budget. But does it ever really work out that way?
In this frank and honest case study, Niall - who has had millions of views across multiple titles after coverage from some of the biggest influencers in the industry - lays bare the reality of that coveted situation, sharing stories, sales figures and screenshots of some REALLY mean comments. From the design decisions that helped put his games in the spotlight, to the wildly unexpected financial outcomes, attendees will learn what happens when the dust settles and for some reason you’re still not a millionaire.
Session Takeaway
- What elements of your game’s design and marketing will appeal most to streamers and influencers, and how to capitalise on that.
- The reality of what achieving “influencer success” means for your game financially and otherwise.
- Understanding of what customer conversion is, and why it may mean you’re targeting the wrong people.
- The mental health toll that “influencer success” can have.
- Positive ways your game can target influencers.
Growing Pains - How to Scale Without Breaking the Thing You Love
In this talk, I dig into the subject of culture, its relevance when you’re a 3 person startup, and how it evolves as the company grows. Keen to get it right and make our company a great place to work, I studied for an MA in entrepreneurship and culture. As part of my dissertation I asked games industry CEO’s and founders what good and bad culture meant to them, whether current leadership styles were worthy of the hype and is there even any place for vulnerability at the top, especially in the current climate. Turns out good old fashioned strategy, process and planning were more important than the beer fridge in creating a secure environment for people to do great work.
I will explore what worked well and what didn’t:
- Why acting like a bigger company than we were was one of the key ingredients.
- Running weekly skill-share workshops is the secret sauce for happy creative people.
- Why not accepting every job you get offered protects your culture.
- Why no one is reading the Vision/Mission/Values statement.
Session Takeaway
- The culture of the company comes from the founders.
- Culture isn’t perks.
- Acting big - why planning ahead created stability and security.
- Beware new people bringing bad culture with them.
- No one reads values and vision statements so why bother?
How To Create A Games Studio In 10 Easy Steps (With Some Hard Lessons Along The Way)
Attendees will learn about his journey into game development; from selling Commodore Amiga games in the school playground to becoming the driving force behind one of the UK's fastest-growing VR games studios.
This talk uncovers the key lessons and insights from Bobby's entrepreneurial journey so far, including working from age 8 on his father's market stall - which not only instilled a strong work ethic, but also taught him the importance of communication - engaging with your audience, grit, determination and entrepreneurship.
Bobby Thandi's journey from working on his father's market stall to leading a successful VR games studio and working on multiple AAA titles with big studios epitomises the power of embracing one's past, combining work and passion, seizing opportunities, and persevering through adversities.
Session Takeaway
Attendees will gain a thorough understanding of what is required to succeed when setting up an indie studio in 2024:
- Learn how to identify a unique and compelling vision
- How to assemble the right team
- What to look for in investors
- How to scale for success
Indie Marketer’s Lament: Stop Winging It!
Marketing, that mysterious hard to describe elusive entity that far too often enters the consciousness of an indie developer when it is already too late. But what is it exactly that marketing does? Why it is not just tweets or a trailer? When should it start? And why is it necessary for a title's success in the current climate of gaming?
Intended for audiences with minimal or no prior experience with marketing games, this talk goes back into the very basics, covering marketing research in its simplest terms, importance of assets such as key art and your Steam page, planning an effective marketing timeline and activities, how to effectively spend your marketing budget and/or free tools at your disposal, and breaking some hard truths around marketing, or lack there of, versus the commercial success of a title.
We would all love to have just that one viral tweet that sets everything into motion, but in a climate where nearly 14,000 games launched on Steam in 2023, are you willing to risk it?
Session Takeaway
- How to go about planning and executing an effective marketing plan for your indie game
- Examples on how to spend your marketing budget
- What free tools and opportunities are available for you if you have minimal or no marketing budget to work with
- Marketing should be involved in a project from the very beginning, not only near launch
Kickstarting your Indie Game Studio as a Graduate / Student!
While getting a job in the game industry after graduating is definitely something to aim for, have you ever considered starting your indie game studio by yourself or with some friends to kickstart your game career?
As an indie game developer who is working on an enterprise program at the University of York, Marco kickstarted his indie game studio business - Overworld Games Studio around half a year ago - with the aim to combine different genres with rich non-linear stories, and craft intriguing gameplay experiences, as well as providing work-for-hire services for interactive experiences and games.
With his previous experience as a solo game developer and by doing a couple of internships with different organizations, he created his game studio with a small amount of business experience. In order to get an understanding of the game industry, he developed his knowledge of how things work through research, as well as attending events and networking throughout his journey as an indie dev.
Come to this session to listen to his journey as an indie game developer so far, and how he was able to create his branding, craft his game pitch, navigate within the game industry, etc. And hopefully, this will give you some inspiration on whether you would like to take this route!
Session Takeaway
- Learn about the different approaches to structuring your game studio business model
- Understand the types of things you will have to consider when approaching the branding of your studio
- Learn more about how you could create game prototypes and conduct player testing efficiently
- Gain knowledge of different resources that could help support your indie game studio
- Learn how to get the most out of networking events and create opportunities for your studio
- Get some tips on managing your time efficiently when you are working on your business
Maximizing AI’s Potential Without Diminishing Human Value
This session will cover Behaviour Interactive’s approach to Generative AI, demystifying the hype and fear. Learn how a pragmatic, human-centered approach can help to identify facts from fallacies. Gain insights into treating Generative AI as a standard technological choice, identifying pitfalls, and discovering practical, creative, and useful applications. Join us to uncover real-world examples and key takeaways for unique use cases.
Session Takeaway
- A fact-based, pragmatic approach to emerging technologies like Generative AI
- Solutions that enhance human capabilities, not replace them
- Optimize your efficiency by focusing on what matters
Sensitive Content: Telling a Challenging Personal Story in The Quiet Things
From childhood cancer to mental health to the life of refugees, the accessible nature of indie games makes them an excellent medium to tell personal stories and create singular experiences. But how do we unflinchingly approach chronicles which are centred around sensitive and heavy content? And how do we endeavour to investigate the corners of emotionally raw stories, as honestly as possible, without causing trauma to a development team?
The Quiet Things is based around one of those stories. Developed by Silver Script Games and based on real diaries written by founder Alyx Jones, this autobiographical narrative game tells the story of Alice from the ages of 8-17 and her experiences with childhood abuse, self-harm, mental health, attempted suicide, grooming and sexual abuse. The game has a deep focus on storytelling through audio and the themes are primarily communicated through diary entries, sound design and dialogue.
This presentation by Silver Script Games founder Alyx Jones, and Voice & Casting Director Kirsty Gillmore, will explore how a micro-indie studio with limited funding has approached the daunting task of creating an autobiographical game where emotional and often upsetting themes are a core part of the narrative. It will explore the ways in which Alice’s story has been told so far, and the emphasis on audio content and dialogue to convey that story. It will also cover how development choices impacted funding, the effect on the team, and the measures taken to enable them to work without compromising their mental and emotional wellbeing.
Session Takeaway
- Learn ways in which you can approach the inclusion of challenging themes in narrative games
- Consider how to approach real life content when applying this to a video game
- How to prioritise and protect your team’s emotional and mental health throughout the development process
- How to approach funding for non-design aspects of game development e.g. resources to support team mental health and well-being
The Developer’s Wishlist: How Publishers Can Win Top Talent
It's common knowledge in the gaming world that publishers are talented in guiding and coaching developers on the art of the pitch and how to sell their vision. And they're great at it, which makes perfect sense. But here's a thought, why don't we see developers doing the same for publishers? Imagine the possibilities if we flipped the script. Good publishers, the ones we all want to work with, are out there hunting for top-notch developers. So, why not give them a nudge in the right direction on how to be even more attractive to talents that align with their goals? This talk isn't just about asking questions; it's about starting a conversation on how we can all do better by understanding each other's needs. After all, in the rush to sign the next big game, maybe what we need is a little more insight into what makes a truly great partnership tick.
Session Takeaway
- What kind of information does a developer look for when doing research for a possible publisher to contact?
- When starting a conversation between a developer and a publisher, what could seem obvious to publishers that is not to developers?
- Opening doors to conversations that spark great partnerships.
Why You (Don’t) Need A Publisher For Your Indie Game
Aimed at indie teams and solo developers, this talk will cover best practices for early game development and seek to demystify the process of signing with a publisher - if you want and need to.
There are a lot of misconceptions about what it means to work with a publisher - for some it's the ultimate goal, and for others, something to avoid on principle. Regardless of your personal position on the matter, getting a game to release is no easy task, and there are lots of pitfalls to avoid - especially for smaller teams that don't have any resources to waste.
This session will give practical advice for developing a game in a robust and efficient way, and outline key areas in which a publisher can support that development. Ultimately the things learned in the session will be useful for all indie devs, no matter their position on publishing.
Session Takeaway
- Understanding of where and how a publisher can support indie game development
- Prompts to help you decide if you really need that support to achieve your goals
- Better understanding of the console development process
- Useful tips to encourage robust and efficient game development in small teams
