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The GI Academy Zone, the annual career fair at EGX organised by GamesIndustry.biz, has been transformed this year with more interaction and a whole host of experts lined up for the weekend.
Building on the work we do with our Academy guides section, this section of next week’s major games showcase will share insight into the many routes to a career in the games industry, as well as offer attendees the chance to gain direct feedback.
There will be four days of talks and panels, plus one-on-one portfolio reviews available with experts in game design, art, game writing, voice acting, production, engineering, programming and more.
Speakers include famed composer Grant Kirkhope, plus representatives from PlayStation, Larian Studios, Rare, Media Molecule, Sports Interactive, Rebellion, Radical Forge, XR Games, and Splash Damage.
Attendees will also have the chance to ‘graduate’ from the GI Academy: simply pick up your Academy passport when you arrive and get it stamped when you complete certain activities, such as watching a talk, having your portfolio reviewed, and visiting the exhibitor booths.
Exhibitors include Abertay University, Glasgow School or Art, Wrexham University, Teeside University, Rebellion, Sports Interactive and Escape Studios.
The GI Academy will be found on the EGX show floor. You can buy passes to EGX here. Universities and colleges looking to send students to EGX can get a group booking discount. Simply email bookings@egx.net.
You can find a full breakdown of the four-day programme below:
Thursday, October 12th
Friday, October 13th
Saturday, October 14th
Sunday, October 15th
Thursday, October 12th
Getting your foot(ball) in the door: How to get a job in games
11.30am – 12.15pm
Jamie Stewart, developer advocate, Sports Interactive
Getting your first job in game development: A recruiter’s POV
12.30pm – 1.15pm
Andy Driver, talent acquisition manager, XR Games
[Panel] Understanding technical art roles
1.30pm – 2.15pm
- Bruce Slater, CEO, Radical Forge
- Calvin Simpson, principle technical artist, Radical Forge
- Anthony Marmont, senior tools engineer, Radical Forge
- Piotr Sidorowicz, junior techincal artist, Radical Forge
- Lauran Carter, head of comms/director, Liquid Crimson (Host)
[Panel] Accessibility at Rebellion: Including everyone
2.30pm – 3.15pm
- Cari Watterton, senior accessibility designer, Rebellion
- Adriaan Scheepers, UI designer, Rebellion
- Edd Waterhouse-Biggins, game designer, Rebellion
- Mathew Alcock, accessibility consultant and advocate, visually impaired content creator and streamer, The Wobbly Gamer
- Mollie Evans, accessibility consultant and content creator, Little MoTAC
Navigating neurodiversity: What you need to know about the games industry
3.30pm – 4.15pm
- Georgie Christoforou, infuencer executive, Neonhive
- Cameron Keywood, studio director, DragonCog Interactive
- Dom Shaw, EDI coordinator, UKIE
Creativity with constraints: How licensing impacts assets and visuals for Football Manager
4.30pm – 5.15pm
Danny Quin, producer (art and animation), Sports Interactive
One-To-One Portfolio Reviews
1pm – 3pm
- Melissa ‘Mj’ Lewis, head of production, Firestoke Games
- Michael Gribben, publishing producer, Firestoke Games
3pm – 5pm
- Andy Driver, talent acquisition manager, XR Games
- Edd Waterhouse-Biggins, Game designer, Rebellion
- Adriaan Scheepers, UI designer, Rebellion
- Cari Watterton, senior accessibility designer, Rebellion
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Friday, October 13th
[Panel] Get a job supporting the games industry: Working in games without working on a game
11.30am – 12.15pm
- Chris Filip, fund manager/international business development, UK Global Screen Fund (British Film Institute)
- Nicole Stewart Rushworth, immersive technologist, Digital Catapult
- Leela Collins, founder, GameChangers Northern Ireland, and producer, Pixel Mill
- Tanya Kapur, founder, Hub175
- Sky Tunley-Stainton, partnerships and training Manager, Safe In Our World
So you want to be an artist? Tips for a creative career
12.30pm – 1.15pm
Sinead Oram, 2D artist, Media Molecule
Voice acting in the video game industry
1.30pm – 2.15pm
JD Kelly, voice actor
Biggest mistakes in the industry: How human mistakes are part of building your game career or business
2.30pm – 3.15pm
Stefano Petrullo, CEO and founder, Renaissance PR
Production: perilous pitfalls and prevalent practices
- 3.30pm – 4.15pm
- Steven Taarland, senior producer, Media Molecule
[Panel] Voice actors: Ask us anything
4.30pm – 5.15pm
- JD Kelly, VO artist (Spectacular Sparky, Steel Division Normandy 44, Project Charon: Space Fighter)
- Shaun Mendum, VO artist (Baldurs Gate 3, No Rest For The Wicked, A Royal Midnight Snack)
- Lauren Clare, VO artist (Space Boat, Alien Scumbags, Interstellar Space: Genesis)
One-to-One Portfolio Reviews
11am – 1pm
- Jasmine Streatfield, freelance 3D artist
- Eoghan Mulvenna, senior programmer, Martian Lawyers Club
1pm – 3pm
- Steph Darrah, associate producer, Playtonic Games and former business development manager
- Magdalena “Maggie” Mojsiejuk, level designer, Media Molcule
3pm – 5pm
- JD Kelly, voice actor and mo-cap performer (3pm – 4pm only)
- Sinead Oram, 2D artist, Media Molecule
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Saturday, October 14th
Grant Kirkhope: My career in video games
11am – 11.25am
- Grant Kirkhope, composer, Kirkcophony
- Chris Dring, head of games B2B, GamesIndustry.biz
The other roles in games: Four discussions on lesser known careers
11.30am – 12.15pm
Kat Welsford, growth manager, Splash Damage
Jordan Mitchell, production tester, Splash Damage
Summer Davies & Spencer Grant, video and creative in marketing, Splash Damage
Jamie Trentham, HR, Splash Damage
Anna Vancouver, development manager, Splash Damage (Host)
Fitting into a production pipeline: The practical realities of working at a studio
- 12.30pm – 1.15pm
- Louise Roberts, Rare
Designing through the imposter syndrome: Tips from a secretly shy systems designer
- 1.30pm – 2.15pm
- Eilidh MacLeod, senior game designer, Media Molecule
[Panel] The barriers we face: Underrepresented groups in games
2.30pm – 3.15pm
- Anni Valkama, brand manager, former Super Rare Games
- Dan Ahern, lead QA, Radical Forge
- Lex Luddy, editor-in-chief, Startmenu.co.uk, and freelance journalist
- Ryan Brown, head of publishing and PR at unannounced publisher, formerly at Super Rare Games
- Harriet Frayling, freelance games accessibility and inclusion consultant
- Jay Shin, CEO and managing director, Arrogant Pixel, and course leader, University of West London
- Shaz Shanghari, content creator, digital illustrator and QA veteran
[Panel] Levelling up your applications and finding the right studio for you: The London Studio way
3.30pm – 4.15pm
- Madeleine Thrush, internal recruiter, Playstation London Studios
- Suraj Mehan, HR administrator, PlayStation London Studios
- Will Freeman, freelance game journalist (Host)
[Panel] Avoiding the talent war: Talent acquisition without the fight
4.30pm – 5.15pm
- John Chalkley, director of talent acquisition, Lighthouse Games
- Paul Murphy, senior talent acquisition specialist, Lighthouse Games
- Jacob Rand, talent acquisition specialist, Lightouse Games
One-to-One Portfolio Reviews
11am – 1pm
- Lucy ‘Loukia’ Kyriakidou, art director and character designer, Lucy Does Art
- Albert Naumovs, level designer, PlayStation London Studio
1pm – 3pm
- Madeline Thrush, internal recruiter, PlayStation London Studio
- Suraj Mehan, HR administrator, PlayStation London Studio
3pm – 5pm
- Louise Roberts, producer, Rare
- Jamie Macleod, environment artist, Frontier
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Sunday, October 15th
Game Writers Panel: Building a successful career in game writing and narrative design
11.30am – 12.15pm
- Brendan Ford, senior narrative designer, Ubisoft Leamington
- Raymond Vermeulen, game writer/narrative designer, Immersive Gamebox
- Chrystal Ding, associate writing lead, Larian
The art of the interface: Launching a career in game UI/UX
12.30am – 1.15pm
Edd Coates, UI database creator and UI lead, Radical Forge
So you want an internship in games?
1.30pm – 2.15pm
Duncan Rendall, software engineering intern, Rare
Dare to be Digital Awards
2.30pm – 4.15pm
One-to-One Portfolio Reviews
11am – 1pm
- Eduardo Gomez, interna technical artist, Rare
1pm – 3pm
- Chrystal Ding, associate writing lead, Larian
- Raymond Vermeulen, game writer/narrative designer, Immersive Gamebox
- Brendan Ford, senior narrative designer, Ubisoft Leamington
3pm – 5pm
- Duncan Rendall, software engineering intern, Rare
- Edd Coates, UI database creator and UI lead, Radical Forge
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The GI Academy will be found on the EGX show floor. You can buy passes to EGX here. Universities and colleges looking to send students to EGX can get a group booking discount. Simply email bookings@egx.net
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