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We can't believe we're already three months into the year, but we're definitely excited about all the upcoming events that the warmer months are going to bring! Have a look at everything going on in the industry this month below...
Ukie Hub Crawls
February was a really busy month when it comes to Ukie’s series of Hub Crawls, and March is no different! This year, the Hub Crawls are focusing on how to build your business’s brand with talks covering topics such as the value of IP, dodging social media pitfalls and whether you should put ads in your game.
The crawls this month are as follows, click on the links for more info about each one and to get your hands on tickets!
London – 3rd
Belfast – 5th
Sheffield – 6th
Edinburgh – 10th
Guildford – 11th
Newcastle – 12th
Side Quest 2020 – 4th – 5th
This event is brand new for 2020 and consists of a series of streamed talks from people in the games industry from studios to staff. These talks will revolve around giving guidance, masterclasses and advice for getting a career in the industry.
Talks for this year include topics such as: how game jams can help you get into the industry, getting started in games, a game dev’s journey and working in games with no degree, as well as some other intriguing topics!
Book your tickets online now!
Out Making Games: Spring Social – 4th
The OMG team is hosting an evening of networking for people in games who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The event will include drinks, refreshments, and networking games, as well as a panel where you’ll have the chance to ask the organisers about their mission and vision for the Out Making Games socials.
There will be two initiatives going on at the Spring Social, these are Tentacle Zone and Sugar. Tentacle Zone is aimed at indie developers and focuses on helping small indies and start-ups connect and share knowledge in order to collaborate with the aim of shared success. It will cover marketing, business, and diversity, as well as there being mixers and game jams. Sugar is their financing platform which was created to provide capital to game and app studios who have great growth ambitions. The aim of this initiative is to provide funds quickly, so clients are able to just run their businesses and smooth out any cash flow problems.
This is certainly an exciting movement to get involved with, register your interest now!
If you’re in London, check out our latest games jobs in the city!
MCV/Develop Awards – 5th
These awards have recently transformed and revamped into a combination of the MCV Awards and the Develop Awards. This means they are now the UK’s only awards for the entire industry, as they recognise all of its key areas – which make up a huge 18 categories!
The awards recognise talent, innovation, achievement, growth and cultural impact. Get your tickets to this huge industry event here
Mental Health in Games and Game Development – 6th
The Mental Health in Games and Game Development event is the first public event surrounding mental health in game development companies. The importance of creating a forum for discussion around mental health for those in game development has been recognised, so the event focuses on what developers can do to create a healthier working environment and how to represent mental health issues.
Get your tickets here
In Cambridge? Check out our jobs near you!
International Women’s Day x Platform Social – 8th
International Women’s Day is being celebrated on the 8th March! There’s a lot you can do to celebrate and support the date, but this event by Platform Social is a great one to keep an eye on. It’s an afternoon of inspiring talks from people in the games industry to celebrate diversity in creative industries. After the talks, there will be a gaming mixer session where you can meet likeminded people, whilst enjoying some gaming!
If you’re excited about International Women’s Day, keep an eye out for what we at Skillsearch will be doing to celebrate!
The VFX Festival 2020 – 16th-18th
This annual celebration of visual effects, animation, motion graphics and games, in general, is a really interesting one if VFX is your thing! The festival is aimed at emerging talent, to give them a place to explore the industries and the chance for professionals to share their insights on highly successful products.
The theme for this year is discovering and developing emerging talent, so if you’re looking to get your foot in the door of the VFX space, get yourself down to this event!
There are three separate events within the festival – EDU, Emerging Talent and After Hours. EDU is aimed at school and college students who want to learn about these creative industries through inspiring talks and networking with industry professionals.
Emerging Talent is the part of the festival aimed at students who are currently in higher education and young professionals who are hoping to kickstart their careers. There will be inspiring talks and panel discussions as well as a recruitment exhibition zone – great for getting your foot in the door!
Finally, After Hours will take place within walking distance from several award-winning studios in London and will involve technical talks and workshops for experienced young professions who want to build their industry knowledge and have the opportunity to network. These sessions are also great for young professionals who want to boost their career prospects!
GDC 2020 – 18th-20th
The Game Developers Conference 2020 will be held in San Francisco and is a professional event for game developers, with the aim of advancing their craft. It’s a great opportunity to connect with game developer friends and learn from others and their techniques. It’s also perfect for less experienced developers to gain an insight into how others run successful game development studios and to celebrate their achievements.
The conference really does have something for everyone, from game programmers to designers, to marketing professionals, producers, studio managers, sound engineers, artists, VR and AR creators, career seekers and recruiters – everybody is welcome to reap the benefits of the conference!
Register your interest in GDC here…
If you’re looking out for games jobs in the USA, have a look at our latest roles in the USA!
UK Industry Drinks Reception @ GDC – 18th
Leading on from the conference itself, Ukie will be hosting a UK drinks reception at the event, where you will also get to enjoy the UK Game of The Show award. This is a nice extra to get involved with if you’re attending GDC! Tickets are free, just register your interest here
Unreal Engine Meetup - 26th
Any Unreal enthusiasts, make sure to come down to the Unreal Engine meet-up this month at The Epic London offices for some drinks and interesting talks! If you've got a prototype or model you'd like to show off, just bring a USB and this is a great opportunity to do so. Skillsearch's very own John will be coming along this month, so make sure you say hi if you see him there!
Get in touch with John at jpr@skillsearch.com and sign up for the meetup here - doors open at 6pm!
EGX Rezzed – 26th-28th
EGX Rezzed is the smaller version of the main EGX event, but still has loads of the same exciting attractions to enjoy! These include the opportunity to play some pre-release games, developer sessions from famous creators, the chance for businesses to meet and advice on how to get your career started in the games industry.
At EGX Rezzed you’ll be met with over 200 indie games, a lot of which are unreleased titles! You’ll have the chance to get top advice at the Career Fair, as well as the opportunity for a 1-to-1 portfolio review…
Get your tickets now!
London Games Festival – 26th March -6th April
This huge annual celebration of interactive entertainment aims to make London the games capital of the world and is kicked off with EGX Rezzed on the 26th. There are then a number of other events covering a range of topics over the following week and a half. These include Ensemble, The LGF Hub, Games Finance Market, Trafalgar Square Games Festival and the BAFTA Games Awards, to name a few.
- Ensemble – BAME talent in games – debuting at Rezzed before touring other festivals
- The LGF Hub – Focusing on the global games industry and key issues in games
- Games Finance Market – Up to 60 investors who will attend pitch meetings with game studios
- Trafalgar Square Games – Free gameplay, experiences, cosplay, music and more!
- BAFTA Games Awards – The most prestigious awards in the industry
As ever, there is something for everyone here. From players to developers, investors, students, and families. People of all ages, abilities and interests will find something at the festival to spark their gaming passion.
More info about the individual events and where to get tickets here!
Space Invasion – Everyone Can – 27th
This charity fundraising day encourages people to get together and play games in order to raise money for the charity Everyone Can – a charity that helps disabled people to be able to play games. This is a great opportunity to have some fun in the name of charity, so get creative and organise your fundraising events now!
Get in touch with Everyone Can to get your hands on a fundraising kit.
Bonus Stage – 28th
Bonus Stage is the indie games showcase hosted at Loading Bar in Dalston. It’s a great chance to get your indie games shown off, and a winner will be picked at the end of the night!
Fill out this form if you’d like the chance to enter your game…
That’s your lot for games events this month! Don’t forget to check out February’s edition if you missed it to catch up on the latest and check back in a month to see what’s going on in April…
As ever, if you’ve got an event you would like me to add into my monthly roundup, get in touch with me at fs@skillsearch.com
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