Interactive Futures: Gateway into Games event is a sell out

"It was great to see so many enthusiastic students, their parents and people looking to move into the industry."

The Interactive Futures - Gateway into Games event, held earlier this month, has been heralded as a great success.

Organisers Warwickshire County Council, Warwick District Council and the Warwickshire Games Collective are reflecting on an inspiring and motivational event for all involved.

The first face-to-face Interactive Futures event since the Covid-19 pandemic was a sell-out with an audience of hundreds of students, parents and local people seeking to move into the video games industry enjoying a packed programme of talks. The talks were 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 the opportunity for those in attendance 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 Spa 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."

Cllr Martin Watson, Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Economy, said: “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 years event a success and made it fun for anyone attending."