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FREE - Roundtables
Accessible Communication and Managing a Neuro-diverse Studio
With approximately 1 in 4 people in the games industry considered neurodivergent (UKIE Survey, 2022), almost every studio will have several employees whose needs and communication styles differ from the typical. That means all managers, producers, and studio heads need to be prepared to accommodate the needs of all their staff by being aware of the best methods and strategies to create a neuro-inclusive work environment. Drawing on his 9 years of experience of managing a majority neuro-divergent studio, as well being a founder of the IGDA Neurodivergent in Games SIG, running Playing Attention (which supports ADHD individuals in the games industry), and being part of the Limit Break committee (supporting accessibility), Adam will take you through some of the ways you can make your studio more inclusive, more accessible, and how you can improve communication with all of your employees, clients, and contractors, helping your studio become a more accommodating place for people to work and play.
Session Takeaway
- Simple things to be aware of when communicating to employees that will make your studio more neuro-inclusive
- Tactics for effective communication within your studio
- Key things to look out for that could help you catch and clear up misunderstandings faster
Changing Company Culture from the Inside
No company is perfect, but how do we get things moving in the right direction or moving at all?
Moo would like to start a discussion about identifying team culture issues within a company as an individual employee, but also when viewing for a potential role from the outside.
We'd also like to discuss strategies and share stories of what has an hasn't work for people, whether it's building up support for change within the team or saving up political capital for the causes that are important to you.
And lastly, when you manage to succeed, how do you prevent things from slipping back?
A POC in Play social will follow this Roundtable. All are welcome.
Session Takeaway
- Strategically approaching company culture issues
- When it's worth fighting and when it's time to go
- Tips for leadership to be more receptive to improve your company culture
Community Crisis What’s Your Issue? Community Manager Roundtable
What do community managers do? Especially when things go wrong? How can you communicate in a timely manner to keep your community happy...
Community Managers are the front line and forward facing members of your team. Leading game launches, new updates, bug reports, community sentiments and reporting how, and what your players love (and hate) in your game. Working with developers, content creators, media outlets, press and journalists, they need to know everything and communicate across a wide range of digital (sometimes IRL) social realms.
Community Crisis what's your issue? Trust your instinct, communicate, and be open to ideas in the Community Manager Roundtable. Tackling commons pitfalls and real life tribulations led by a panel of seasoned experts. Work in groups to tackle common indie game issues community managers can face, discover practical advice and gain from real life experiences to improve future decision making. Do you have a burning community question you've always wanted to ask? Want to connect with fellow managers to ask for advice and guidance?
This roundtable is open-to-all, encouraging experienced and aspiring community managers to work with developers and decision makers to demystify this role. Knowledge share, uplift and celebrate the power of working together.
Session Takeaway
- Discover what a community manager does and why this role is important
- Learn practical advice for common community crisis issues
- Gain from real experiences to improve future decision making
Develop: FTUE (First Time User Experience)
A relaxed and informal roundtable designed to help you get the most out of your time at the conference. A diverse panel of friendly and experienced devs from across the whole industry spectrum want to help anyone who feels shy, awkward, a little out of place, on the outside, or just unable to really squeeze all the goodness out of this amazing show. You'll feel positive, empowered and fully equipped to have an absolutely smashing time, with tips on how to be productive, tools to network, and commitments from volunteers to be your safety net should things get a little too much! Finally, should you feel like it would help, we'll match people up with Show Mentors to ensure however long you're in Brighton, you go back to your studio feeling invigorated and inspired!
Session Takeaway
- Shared experiences that will give you some ideas on best practise plus do's and dont's for networking at every event.
- Recommendations for talks to attend and delegates to meet, plus practical help to do so!
- Knowledge of safe and quiet spaces to help manage your experience at the show
- Introductions to helpers who you can approach throughout your visit if you need a friendly face!
Develop: FTUE (First Time User Experience)
A relaxed and informal roundtable designed to help you get the most out of your time at the conference. A diverse panel of friendly and experienced devs from across the whole industry spectrum want to help anyone who feels shy, awkward, a little out of place, on the outside, or just unable to really squeeze all the goodness out of this amazing show. You'll feel positive, empowered and fully equipped to have an absolutely smashing time, with tips on how to be productive, tools to network, and commitments from volunteers to be your safety net should things get a little too much! Finally, should you feel like it would help, we'll match people up with Show Mentors to ensure however long you're in Brighton, you go back to your studio feeling invigorated and inspired!
Session Takeaway
- Shared experiences that will give you some ideas on best practise plus do's and dont's for networking at every event.
- Recommendations for talks to attend and delegates to meet, plus practical help to do so!
- Knowledge of safe and quiet spaces to help manage your experience at the show
- Introductions to helpers who you can approach throughout your visit if you need a friendly face!
How to Get More Girls: Gender and Gaming, Beyond the ‘Menemies’ Mindset
We all talk about needing to get more women into gaming: both in the workforce, and in the gaming experience itself. After all, despite positive progress, gaming still has a worse gender balance than any other creative industry. And we’ve got a long way to go to make the gaming and e-sports community a place where women and girls can feel like they belong - especially as often, right now, women and girls don’t even feel safe.
But most conversations about gender inclusion tend to end up doing more harm than good. The ideology gap between young men and women is big, and it’s widening: While Gen Z women are demanding more and more change, 53% of Gen Z men in Britain feel that gender equality has gone so far that it’s men who are now being discriminated against. Meanwhile, women often disagree about some fundamental stuff too – like is calling ourselves “girls” a positive or a negative thing? And there are those who claim we should just forget about gender anyway, as the future’s all non-binary.
Who’s right? What’s the answer? Is it even possible to get more girls into gaming (as creatives, consumers and characters) without making men and boys feel even more overlooked than they do already? Isn't this just going to exacerbate the current gender wars? And how is any of this gender debate going to drive business growth?
This session will uncover how we can get beyond a ‘Menemies’ mindset in gaming, and make the world of gaming one that works for all of us, and for the business.
Session Takeaway
- Ideas for developing characters, stories and worlds that the overlooked half of the population will really value too.
- Tips on how to grow your audience by marketing products beyond the traditional gendered assumptions.
- An appreciation that using better gender intelligence with our consumers and community also drives a positive culture-change within the company. (It's not just vice-versa.)
It’s Cool to be Kind - Mental Health and Wellbeing Support at Work
A roundtable to discuss success stories of great mental health and wellness support in the workplace. Ideal for studios looking to add or increase visibility of Mental Health and wellness best practices and a welcoming, open space to seek advice, guidance, and insight on these topics.
Session Takeaway
- What great Mental Health and Wellness support at work looks like with practical ideas to try at your workplace
- Inspiration for everyday acts of kindness
- Insightful conversation with likeminded people.
LGBQTIA+ Roundtable
An open talk to look at how the year has been for the LGBTQIA+ Community.
This year has had good days alongside the bad days, we think it is important for us to discuss how we have been throughout the year and celebrate our achievements, no matter how big or small.
With all the unfortunate redundancies in the past year having a major affect on so many lives, it is important for our community to have a safe space to openly discuss how the past year have impacted their lives, plus how the gaming industry can help more LGBTQIA+ people
Session Takeaway
- An understanding of the concerns of LGBTQ+ individuals working in the games industry
- Techniques shared from first-hand experiences of celebrating diversity in workplaces
- Tips and tricks for pushing for better in-game representation from within the industry
Men As Allies: Open Your Eyes & Become An Agent of Change
The games industry thrives on creativity, innovation, and diverse perspectives. Yet, women continue to face significant roadblocks: from subtle microaggressions and unconscious biases to blatant harassment and abuse. These challenges create a hostile environment, hinder career progression, and ultimately, hold the industry back from reaching its full potential.
And nothing is changing despite the efforts of Women in Games and our partners and supporters. Men must play a pivotal role in dismantling these barriers and fostering a truly inclusive and equitable gaming landscape.
This roundtable event, to open the eyes of men working in the industry to the huge challenges and obstacles facing women, and to equip them with the tools and understanding they need to become effective allies, driving positive change within the industry.
This roundtable isn't about raising awareness; it's about encouraging and empowering men to take action. We'll provide attendees with knowledge, practical tools and resources to implement the learnings of the session into their daily lives, both professionally and personally.
Session Takeaway
- Speak Up, Not Over: True allyship prioritises amplifying women's voices while offering unwavering support.
- Become an Advocate: Take initiative to educate yourself and others about the challenges women face within the games industry.
- Challenge the Status Quo: Identify and challenge 'masculine' norms that contribute to a culture of bias and exclusion.
- Action is Paramount: Allyship goes beyond words – translate your learnings into tangible actions that create lasting change.
Narrative Design - Mistakes Were Made
Join us for a roundtable discussion with a varied bunch of narrative designers, indie, AA, and AAA, to talk about mistakes made and what we can learn from those mistakes.
Host: Nina Roussakoff, Lovewish
Session Takeaway
- Gain valuable insights from 5 experienced narrative designers
- Learn of at least 5 mistakes to avoid
- Gain an understanding of what solutions might be applied if you encounter similar narrative design problems
Putting Children First: Tackling Child Protection In Gaming
Everyone in the games space hopes that children can be kept as safe as possible when playing games, but in the fast moving world of gaming, it can be a challenge for developers, publishers and platforms to know how to best keep this priority at the forefront of their processes and decision making.
Bringing together a panel of folk from various areas of the games industry, join us for a discussion of some of the critical issues related to child safety in games. Exploring some of the experiences children face in online connected worlds, navigating the world of age ratings and parental controls, and discussing some ways the games industry can collectively do more to look after young players.
NSPCC has a wealth of expertise in child protection, and is constantly putting the voice of children as a key driver in how to advance the cause of child protection. But as we step into the world of gaming, we don’t have all the answers, and are keen to work in partnership with the games industry to collaborate on initiatives that can achieve as much impact as possible, as well as helping generate the funds for the charity to enable this important work.
Session Takeaway
- A snapshot of some of the issues children face when gaming today, based on real NSPCC case studies.
- An understanding of current child protection best practices used by games companies represented.
- Ideas of how they can step up their approach to child protection in their own game projects.
Supporting Workers Through Redundancies
In light of recent layoffs shaking the industry, community and mutual support have become more crucial than ever. Join us in a conversation about how we can empower ourselves to support each other through redundancies, and how we can improve the stability of the industry through collective action.
This conversation aims to create a space where we can share our experiences and ideas, and discuss practical steps we can take. Learn your legal rights during a redundancy, and how you can access legal support.
Our goal is to ensure that every worker feels valued, supported, and empowered to contribute to our shared success, particularly in these challenging times. This session is based on an open meeting held in October 2023, which was attended by over 50 members of the industry. Since then almost an additional 10,000 workers have been made redundant from the industry, with no signs of slowing down.
Host: Christina Logan, Crybaby Studios
Session Takeaway
- Basic worker’s rights and laws around redundancy
- How to support co-workers facing redundancy
- How the redundancy consultation process works and people’s experiences of redundancy
VFX Roundtable
An opportunity for VFX artists of all levels to meet and exchange knowledge and wisdom, and discuss the various challenges we have to deal with in our careers.
Non VFX artists are also welcome to come and gain an insight into how to work closely with their VFX colleagues to create visually stunning (and bug free) games!
Session Takeaway
- You will have a better idea of how VFX artists work in other studios
- You will get helpful advice about best practise in project and asset organisation
- You will get some tips to improve communication with other departments in your workplace
You Are Not an Imposter: Dealing with Imposter Syndrome
We’ve both had quite severe imposter syndrome for many years, and have taken time to reflect on how it has affected our mental state. Recently we realised that I hadn’t felt that way for quite a few months! Through the use of tricks that have been accumulated over the years we have unknowingly developed similar-but-different strategies for overcoming it. We now use, share, and want to continue to share those skills to help others who are in similar positions to help them get past their own blockers and reach their full potential.
We will explain the techniques and skills that we now use to deal with imposter syndrome as well as how this has enabled us to have far healthier mental states – as well as looking to hear from attendees about any techniques that they’ve developed themselves.
This is a very widespread challenge throughout our industry, and we believe that by creating space for the open conversations and sharing advice around how to live with imposter syndrome, we can all be of help to a lot of people.
If we can get past it, anyone can.
Session Takeaway
- Ways to recognise imposter syndrome.
- Practical tips and advice to overcome it
- Advice on how to live with it.
- Support in how to begin feeling empowered by it.
