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The Number One Educational Resource for the Game Industry

Session Name: Lost XP: Why Junior Game Developers Quit and How to Help
Speaker(s): Pierre-Luc Labbe, Sarah Spiers, Jakin Vela, Johanna Weststar
Company Name(s): rhum.hr, Electronic Arts, International Game Developers Association, Western University
Track / Format: Production & Team Leadership

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Overview: The game industry frequently laments the "lack of experienced talent," despite a significant and sustained decade-long increase in the number of people graduating from postsecondary games programs. The problem is not flooding the pipeline with new talent, the problem is keeping highly skilled workers in the industry after they have found work. According to the 2021 Developers Satisfaction Survey, 38% of employed developers anticipated leaving their current employer within three years, almost 60% figured they would leave within six years, and 21% had no idea how long they would stay. This transiency is even more pronounced for members of marginalized communities. Clearly, there are ways educational institutions and the industry as a whole can do better in terms of recruitment, training, and retention. This panel examines recent empirical data, existing industry interventions, and explores new solutions to keep talented and diverse game developers in the industry.

Game Developers Conference 2023

Pierre-Luc Labbe

rhum.hr

Sarah Spiers

Electronic Arts

Jakin Vela

International Game Developers Association

Johanna Weststar

Western University

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Production & Team Leadership

Production