The virtual Ukie Student Conference will be a day of exclusive talks from industry insiders to give you some insight and advice for your journey into the games industry.
Tickets are FREE, register here.
Schedule and topics below:
Seyed Nasrollahi, Founder-CEO, UnifiQ Games - What does it take to start your own gaming company?
Starting your own game studio can be as much exciting as terrifying. Although entrepreneurship is a very risky and stressful endeavour, it can also be rewarding if you are equipped with the right tools. And by tools, I don't mean capital, hardware, software, connections, etc. By tools, I mean the personal qualities and mental models that you carry with yourself. In this talk, I will be discussing the personal trails, ways of thinking and ways of living that can make you succeed in starting your own company.
Jacki Vause, CEO, Dimoso - PR for Games
This talk will give you an insight into how PR is used in the games industry and how the marketing mix works when promoting games.
Paddy Finn, CEO, Starcane Press - Here Be Dragons!
Learn about the dragon's you'll encounter along the way and how to slay them...and in some cases train them. Build a successful interactive business by navigating uncharted waters and harnessing the peculiar power of the unconventional.
Adam Boyne, Director, BetaJester - Systems To Get Your Head Around
When making games, there are a few key systems that will come up over and over again. In this talk, Adam will outline the game systems you need to know about, what you need to know about them, and how to get started making them so that when they come up in your next game you have all the skills ready. He'll also cover how you can prepare systems in advance to help make you a versatile and efficient game developer!
Max Ward, Cloud Gaming Sales Manager, Outright Games - Cloud Gaming - The Future for the Games Industry?
Cloud technology is becoming big news in the gaming industry. The same tech that has revolutionised the way we watch our favourite films and TV shows is now being used to bring videogames to new audiences. In this talk, we explore what its like to work in Cloud Gaming, the unique opportunities and challenges that cloud technology brings, and whether this truly could be the future of the industry.
Catherine Bygrave, Head of Publisher and Developer Relations, Gfinity PLC - From boxed product to digital: evolving your career as the industry changes
The gaming industry is fast-paced and constantly changing, so how do you keep your career moving with the times? Hear from Catherine about how her career evolved over nearly a decade at a major publisher, from selling physical boxes to managing the commercials of global digital launches, before co-heading the commercial team at an esports and technology provider.
Ben Akroyd, Managing Director, Arena consultancy - Bringing live esports to the UK
As a tournament organiser, the talk would cover what is needed to bring live esports to thousands of people, from finding the venue, working on cool designs that make jaws drop when then enter the venue to all the blood, sweat and tears that are associated with event/tournament organising. What are the lessons learnt from an industry veteran, what would I have done differently, where is the world of LAN esports tournaments going post Covid?
Deborah Farley, Head of Talent and Outreach, UK Games Talent and Finance - A Week In The Life Of An Indie Developer
Discover how Tranzfuser can help graduates transform a passion for game dev into a sustainable creative indie dev studio. Deborah and Matt will chat through Meteorite Media’s recent Tranzfuser success finding out what “A Week In The Life Of An Indie Developer” is really like.
Jay Powell, CEO, The Powell Group - Why Understanding the Business of Games Is Important
This is a high level discussion aimed at students hoping to run their own studio or work in an indie studio after graduation. We will cover why a basic understanding of business is important, the skills involved in marketing, prospecting, negotiation and more. We will also provide the students with links to additional resources they can cover on their own time.
Kristen Griffin, Simar Chaim, Liz Beer, Aleks Stasiak, Technical Artists, Ubisoft - Student to Studio - Tech Art Demystified
Covering a high level overview of technical art and how to prepare for getting into the industry (portfolios, showreels, cvs, interviews).