Wanted: Real GameChangers

You may not be aware of the video gaming talent in the Liverpool City Region. We’re not talking about people who are good at playing video games, although there are probably a host of people in the region that are. We’re talking about the growing industry talent that makes the games that are played worldwide.

Liverpool City Region’s Mayor, Steve Rotheram’s latest growth initiative is set to path the way for the next generation of video creators. We find out more and highlight the opportunities for you to carve a career in this exciting industry sector.  

Video game making is big business.

Across the Liverpool City region there are leading games studios who are always hungry for new creative talent to work in their industry. It’s a vibrant sector where you’ll find people who are passionate about creating world class video games. If you’ve ever thought of working in this sector then there is a new initiative that you should know about. It’s the brain child of Steve Rotherham and is being run by The Liverpool City Region’s Careers Hub.

This organisation works with secondary schools and colleges to ensure that every young person receives outstanding, relevant careers education. It’s funded by The Careers & Enterprise Company, the national body for careers education in England. It also works in partnership with Growth Platform. They bring together local schools, colleges, Enterprise Advisers, Cornerstone Employers, universities, training providers, businesses and careers professionals to improve how they prepare young people for their next steps. Liverpool City Region’s Careers Hub support 137 secondary schools, special schools and colleges across Liverpool City Region.

They are using their expertise to bring together games studios, educators and industry organisations to build the next generation of video game creators. Steve Rotheram has pledged to develop a new generation of creators who can take the region’s video game industry to the next level. This innovative initiative, called ‘GameChangers’ will combine the creative might of game development studios, the expertise of education providers and the guidance of careers education. It will create new learning pathways, partnerships, funding opportunities and ways of working across the region.

Gamechangers has already got the gaming industries attention.

Leading games studios across the Liverpool City Region have signed up including:  Avalanche Studios Group; D3T; Lucid Games; Ripstone; Scenegraph Studios; Skyhook Games; Universally Speaking; Firesprite and Wushu Studios. They have committed to working together with to develop local games talent. This will be supported by education providers and charity institutions including NextGen Skills and the LFC Foundation.

Steve Rotheram is excited by the new initiative that lays the foundation for growing this industry sector by attracting new local talent:

“GameChangers is our pledge to support the next generation of video game creators, to nurture their imagination and fresh ideas, and ensure that together, we can take one of our fastest-growing industries to the next level. Our area is home to a burgeoning digital and creative sector that supports thousands of SMEs, jobs and training opportunities, and generates millions for our local economy too. Fortunately, we have some of the best universities and colleges on our doorstep that can help us to attract and retain the graduates and trainees with the creativity and skills to shape the future of the sector,” he explains.

Gill Walsh, Strategic Careers Hub Lead at the Liverpool City Region Careers Hub, will help deliver Gamechangers:

“This is such a fantastic initiative. Inspiring our young people about the possibilities open to them in the world of work is the foundation of what we do at the Careers Hub, and the Gamechangers will play an important part of the work we do. With a gaming heritage that contributes approximately £50 million annually to the local economy we know that there is a significant demand for talent within the ever-growing video game industry in Liverpool City Region. The GameChangers skills pledge signifies a commitment not only from us but more importantly from the gaming industry itself to showcase this exciting industry to our young people ensuring its ongoing expansion and a bright future,” she tells us.

Councillor Ian Maher, Portfolio Holder for Employment, Education and Skills, agrees and believes GameChangers will encourage new talent into the industry that had never considered this as a career:

“We have a rich gaming heritage in Liverpool City Region and a significant demand exists for additional talent within this growing video game industry. However, there is a shortage of candidates applying to fill the many roles that are on offer. That is why it is fantastic to see such an inspiring initiative from the region’s gaming studios to help address the local talent shortage and inspire our future generations to come,” he added.

Jamie Brayshaw is Head of Marketing at Ripstone, one of the region’s leading studios. He is Chair of GameChangers and reflecting on the benefits collaboration will bring to attracting and growing talent across the region:

“Collaboration is the cornerstone of the GameChangers mission. Many studios and organisations are doing great work individually to support talent, but together we are more than the sum of our parts. We firmly believe that pooling our collective resources and passion will increase awareness of games as a viable career, remove barriers to entry and usher in a new era of trailblazing game development in Liverpool City Region,” he suggests.

If you are interested in a career in the gaming industry then look out for GameChangers. If you are a business in the sector, particularly, studios, universities, charitable organisations and industry bodies in the Liverpool City Region then Gamechangers wants to hear from you.