This site has been created to help game developers find work with a focus on freelance.
Want to learn what it takes to get a job in the games industry? Check out our Roles section for a breakdown of typical job roles and tips about how to find work.
The game design document is vital for any game development, this article explains the purpose and gives an outline of what you should include in yours.
People make all kinds of mistakes when applying for jobs so here is some advice on what to avoid and what you can do to improve your chances of gaining employment.
BAFTA, in association with GamesIndustry.biz, will host Games Question Time this February, featuring some of the leading talent in the UK games business.
New UKIE CEO Jo Twist, Frontier's David Braben, Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard and Rebellion's Jason Kingsley will all take part in a lively debate on the current state of the UK's games business, hosted by GamesIndustry.biz's Johnny Minkley.
A limited number of free tickets are available for the event, taking place at BAFTA HQ at 195 Piccadilly in London on February 20. Once free tickets are gone, additional tickets can be purchased for £5.
It's an understatement to say THQ is in a mess. This week it axed staff from its publishing and administration teams, and confirmed that it is no longer working on games aimed at the younger audiences, including the shelving of a recent Disney project. That's not because games for kids aren't doing the business anymore, it's just that THQ hasn't been able to follow the audience as it got hooked on monsters and online penguins.
Concentrating on the core audience is a solid plan if that really is your intention, but THQ is a company without confidence, axing projects and staff before they've taken their first steps. Look at its activities last year and a familiar pattern emerges - because its exactly what it did in 2009 when it first acknowledged that the kids' market was shrinking, when it closed Big Huge Games and let Heavy Iron and Incinerator go, when CEO Brian Farrell said the company would focus on fewer titles, when internal studio Volition lost its QA staff, the International business was shuttered and 600 staff let go. And previously in 2008 when it spoke of a new direction and sacked 250 staff with the closure of five studios.
But back to 2011, to really ram the point home. Three internal development teams were shut down in September at a cost of 200 jobs, and the MX Vs ATV franchise was canned - a series Brian Farrell hoped would usher in a mid-priced revolution for the company. The recently rebooted Red Faction series was briefly full of hope before being canned in July after a lacklustre launch and tepid reviews for Red Faction: Guerrilla. A month earlier, THQ Warrington (a digital-focused studio) was closed, alongside the Homefront team at Kaos, and Saints Row spin-off Drive By didn't even get shown publicly before being snuffed.
Registration has opened for this year's GameHorizon, taking place June 27-28 at The Sage Gateshead.
Mills from app developer ustwo, Darren Jobling of Eutechnyx, Thumbstar's Gareth Edmondson and Atomic Antelope's Chris Stevens are all confirmed for the event, with more to be added over the coming months.
"The theme for 2012 is GameHorizon is about Entertainment, Technology and Games," said Nina Cliff, conference producer. "We're seeking out unique thinkers and pioneering businesses for this year's line up."
UKIE will fund the travel of selected students attending the Blitz Games Studios 2012 Student Open Days in March.
"We are delighted to be supporting the Blitz Games Studios Open Days as part of our commitment to the Livingstone Hope Skills review recommendations to help the UK's games industry access the high quality graduates it needs to grow and innovate," said UKIE CEO Jo Twist.
"We are long-standing admirers of Blitz's policy of supporting games education and aspiring developers, and it's a pleasure to be able to add our support in this way. We hope that this fund enables even more students to benefit from attending a Blitz Open Day."
