unConference

In a few months, I’ll be marking my third year as a worker in video games. In three short years, I have seen an industry in freefall. Every day bears new headlines of closures, redundancies, and cancellations. I’ve seen friends and colleagues tossed out on the heap to fend for themselves. I’ve seen projects go up in smoke, studios dismantled for parts. I’ve seen workers exploited and livelihoods threatened. The video games sector seemingly can’t help but cannibalise itself, and it’s not hard to see that something at its heart is rotting.

So what do we do about it? Change can be daunting, especially in a time of uncertainty and crisis, and confronting change as individuals can feel impossible. Our industry can leave us feeling siloed and powerless. So my solution – the thing I come back to time and time again – is to find community.

When we gather together, we open space – perhaps to mourn, to commiserate, to rage, but also to hope and to dream. Space to reimagine, redefine, reinvent. Maybe even (in case we’ve forgotten what we're here for!) space to play.

Since I started in the industry, I’ve wanted a space that galvanises game workers to work on the things – both big and small – that are the most important to them. I’ve wanted a space filled with people eager to find the good in the present and nurture it. People keen to till the soil and encourage the future to blossom. A space that treasures creativity, diversity, democracy, and collaboration.

That is my vision for Game Developers unConference. It’s an unconventional experiment – a leap of faith that we can do more when we come together than we can when we are apart.

How it’ll work is very simple: on the day of the unConference, we’ll gather together and create an agenda - you can call a session (or multiple sessions) on the things you want to spend time on. Then we’ll get to work - you’ll choose what sessions you attend, you’ll choose what you do with your time. No corporate nonsense, no keynote speeches, just our collective experience and wisdom, plus some breathing room to think and act. (If that sounds a bit fluffy, don’t worry – everything will be explained on the day!)

So bring your grief, anger, hopes, dreams, frustrations and questions; join us for as long as you choose on 5th April. Let’s gather to do the work that we can only do together.

Jeremy Wong
IWGB Game Workers member

Game Developers unConference (GDuC) is a democratic, collaborative forum for game worker-led discussions and action, hosted by the IWGB Game Workers. The mission is to galvanise game workers to work on the things – both big and small – that are the most important to them.

Most importantly, the agenda and content of the unConference is determined by the people at each event, driven by their passions, expertise, and experience. The events serve as catalysts for change in the industry, and as spaces for connection.

The unConference is free to attend, but our capacity is limited so you will need to register here.

The venue has step-free access and there are chairs for everyone. Moreover, you are encouraged to take breaks whenever you need to. For any additional access requirements, please get in touch with gamedevunconference@gmail.com

Unfortunately not. Due to the format of the event, it's very challenging to do a hybrid version with both in-person and virtual participants. However, we are considering doing an online-only version in future. Please let us know if this is something you'd be interested in!

Yes! People who call sessions will be encouraged to make reports on their sessions - these mostly take the form of notes, but reports can be drawings, recordings etc. We will compile these and self-publish them once we've got enough of them back!

We encourage ALL game workers to take part – building a better future will require all of us. However, if this event does inspire you to join the union, you can find out more and sign up here.

The event uses a flexible format called Open Space Technology. Open Space events do not have a set agenda, but they are normally focused around a central question – for our event in April 2025, the question is: Our industry in crisis: how do we fix the video games sector?

Here’s what the event will look like:

• At the start of the event (“Opening Circle”), a facilitator will guide participants in creating their agenda for the day.
• Any participant can timetable a topic (or “call a session”) on something that they want to work on – there is no topic too big or small, or too weird or wonderful.
• Participants can propose as many sessions as they want, or they can just attend sessions proposed by others.
• Once all the topics are timetabled, the work can start. The room is reorganised to create space for smaller, flexible breakout spaces for each session.
• Every participant chooses what sessions they attend and how they spend their time. A participant might choose to sit in one session and chew over a tough problem, flit between lots of sessions and connect the “hivemind”, or play a game, take a nap, or have a nice chat over a coffee.
• We gather again at the end of the day to reflect and exchange next steps.
• People who call sessions are encouraged to compile a report on their session – this could be notes, a recording, a drawing, … or even a video game?

If you’re interested, you can read more about Open Space here.

Absolutely not.

You do not need to be an expert on your session topic – you don’t need to prepare a presentation or have a speech. In fact, you can know absolutely nothing about it.

You just need the passion and determination to work on it, and others with the same passion will come and join you.

Kind of. It’s just that you will be the experts.

We believe that every attendee is an expert in their own right – the junior worker and the industry veteran are equal participants, because both have something crucial to bring to the table.

Our collective wisdom is unleashed by carving out the time and creative environment to work on the things that we truly care about.

For our pilot event in April 2025, we will be working for a full day with a built-in lunch break, but you can stay for as long as you want to, and you can take breaks whenever you want to. However, we would strongly recommend arriving at 10am for the Opening Circle.

• 9:45am: Doors open
• 10am - 11:15am: Opening Circle
• 11:15am - 12:15pm: Session 1
• 12:15pm - 1pm: Lunch
• 1pm - 2pm: Session 2
• 2pm - 3pm: Session 3
• 3pm - 4pm: Session 4
• 4pm - 4:45pm: Closing Circle

No! We won’t know what the sessions will be until we start the Opening Circle, so simply bring yourself. You might decide on the day that you have loads of sessions to call, or you might decide that you only want to attend sessions other people have proposed.

Also, just because you’ve joined one session, that doesn’t mean you can’t take yourself somewhere else if you feel like that’s where you need to be. Follow your nose…

Yes! We're interested in participants from across the industry, including academics and journalists. However, as our event's physical capacity is limited, we would encourage those without a direct link to the video games industry to sign up closer to the event date, so that game workers have priority with registration.