The first official Games Careers Week has launched on 26th March with an array of activities and events to take part in. From discovering different roles to starting your first game, all aspects of getting into the games industry is covered.
The joint effort by Into Games, Grads in Games and BFI aims to spotlight the diverse nature of games career to young people, parents/carers and teachers. The week is supported by over 75 event partners which includes studios, educational institutions and non-profit organisations.
Many Cats has been supporting the week by joining in the conversations on social media and signposting disabled young people to the resources available. It is good to see one of the key themes of tackling stereotypes of the industry and who can be employed within the industry. The importance of highlighting that disabled people are and can be a part of the games industry is key to encouraging the next generation of disabled and neurodiverse young people to think about games as their career.
From the GCW website - Rick Gibson, one of the founders of Games Careers Week, commented “We want to help diverse young people, their parents, and their educators to learn more about why creative technology are so important for their futures. The games industry should be a poster-child for the UK’s export-driven knowledge economy. Most parents don’t know the UK supports over 25,000 stable, exciting and well paid jobs, which number grew by over 12% in 2020 right through the pandemic. We recognise there are education and knowledge gaps about games careers, especially amongst women and underrepresented communities, and we think the best way to build a more diverse workforce is to provide the tools, advice, and information to encourage a range of diverse new talent to explore their digital skills and career potential.”
Discover more on the website;