THE FIRST face-to-face Interactive Futures event since the pandemic was a sell-out.
Hundreds of students, parents and locals seeking to move into the video games industry turned out for the Gateway into Games event organised by Warwick District Council, Warwickshire County Council and the Warwickshire Games Collective.
Those taking part enjoyed a packed programme of talks hosted by Marie Foulston, Creative Director and Videogame Curator on a range of topics ranging from why there is a career for everyone in games, the different routes into the industry and what the future of games might look like.
The event also shone a light on how well the industry responds to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion.
Dozens of ‘Silicon Spa’ studios exhibited including Kwalee, Rebellion, Playground Games, Lively- A Keyword Studio, SEGA HARDlight, Ubisoft, Third Kind Games, Lab 42, Sumo Leamington, Secret Mode, RiVR and Soul Assembly.
There was also the opportunity for delegates to enjoy some valuable one-to-one time with developers, artistic creatives and recruiters to review portfolios and CVs.
Chris McCarthy, Head of Recruitment at Third Kind Games, said: “As an integral part of the thriving video game hub in Leamington and Warwickshire, Third Kind Games was proud to support Interactive Futures and inspire the future generation of game creators.
“From our perspective, it was great to see so many enthusiastic students, their parents and people looking to move into the industry at Interactive Futures. It further bolsters the work we are already doing alongside other local gaming studios in schools and colleges to engage students of all ages and backgrounds to understand the career options available to them within the industry.”
WCC economy spokesman Coun Martin Watson continued: “We were delighted to be able to support the local studios to host this event which has engaged with so many people.
“The video games sector is a crucial part of the Warwickshire economy and offers incredibly rewarding careers due to the variety of opportunities and skills required which we need to showcase as a viable career option in order for us to support its continued growth.
“We are really fortunate that so many of the video games studios in our area got involved to make this year’s event a success and made it fun for anyone attending.”
WDC’s arts spokeswoman Coun Ella Billiald added: “We are thrilled that in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and the local Games Studios, we have been able to provide a forum for students and people wanting to enter this dynamic and growing industry to meet in the heart of the ‘Silicon Spa’.
“Our sincere thanks go to the staff from the studios who gave up their time to be part of panels and to offer one to one support to students with portfolio and CV reviews. We are already looking forward to keeping up this momentum when we return to the Royal Spa Centre for Interactive Futures 2024.”
The next Interactive Futures event is planned for early 2024, with further information and contact details available on the interactive-futures.com website soon.
