Game Talks: Friday

Talks

EMILY DERVEY, JUNIOR 3D ARTIST, XR GAMES

Unpacking the routes into the videogame industry (with a focus on 3D environment art)

In this talk Emily will explain their non-linear route into the games industry as a 3D Environment Artist, before moving on to discuss the current state of accessibility with a specific focus on age and class, highlighting initiatives and trends that are aiming to create opportunity and finishing with tools for self-teaching.

Emily graduated in History from the University of Nottingham before completing their MA in Game Art with Escape Studios. In 2022, they started at XR Games as a Junior 3D Artist.

MELISSA PHILLIPS

What does success look like?

Tallying up your Credits, starting a personal project, having a side hustle and leading a fantastic social life are all noble goals, but the reality of balancing all of these things in your daily routine can often lead to exhaustion and burnout.

What does success look like? Can you measure it? How do you even know if you're on the right track?

In this talk, Melissa Phillips teaches you how to plan your goals more strategically and challenges you to start achieving the things you really want to do.

Melissa Phillips is an Executive Coach, specialising in leadership, management and personal Development. Melissa's career has seen her work both in the charity sector as Games Programme Manager of BAFTA Games and involved in direct developments as Head of Studio at Silver Rain Games Studio, an independent and fully remote games studio currently making an EA Originals title in partnership with EA.

Hannah Nicklin, CEO, Die Gute Fabrik

Call it what it is: Why approaching story like a craft helps you do it better

Hannah Nicklin is an award-winning narrative and game designer, writer, and academic who has been practising for nearly 15 years. She works hard to create playful experiences that see people and make people feel seen, and also argues for making games a more radical space through mentoring, advocacy, and redefining process. Trained as a playwright, Nicklin moved into interactive practices early on in her career and is now the CEO and studio lead at Danish indie studio Die Gute Fabrik, which most recently launched Mutazione in 2019. She's also the author of Writing for Games: Theory & Practice.

In this 20 min pre-recorded talk, Hannah Nicklin joins the Yorkshire Games Festival to talk about how naming the tools of story (and equipping ourselves with centuries of story theory) will help us tell better stories. The talk will be a 101 introduction to story vocabulary and how it can apply to game storytelling. The more you can name what you're doing, the better you can practice it, and the better you can advocate for it in game development.

Jade Evans, Animator/artist, Chucklefish

Pixel art as a tool for artists and game designers

Jade Evans is an Artist at Chucklefish, an independent developer with a focus on creating charming pixel art games. She studied Illustration/Animation at Kingston School of Art, graduating in 2017. Trained as a traditional 2D Animator and Illustrator she worked in the animation industry for several years before moving into videogames in 2020.

In this talk Jade will explore what pixel art is in today's videogame landscape and how pixel art can be used as a tool by artists and non-artists alike for experimentation, developing fundamental art and animation skills and good character design.

Sitara shefta, Head of Studio, No Brakes Games

Finding the fun without falling flat

Sitara Shefta, Head of Studio at No Brakes Games, will be guiding us through their best development practices and guidelines as the developers of the massively popular wobbly puzzler Human: Fall Flat.

As well as being Head of Studio at No Brakes Games, Sitara is also a member of the POC in Play team. During her career, she has contributed to a number of studios from AAA to indie, including EA and Sumo Digital, where she worked on titles including LittleBigPlanet 3, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom and Snake Pass.

Josh Davidson, Intern Technichal Designer, Bulkhead 

How comparison destroys personality – Advice from an intern tech designer

As students we can constantly feel like we are comparing ourselves to those around us – especially those who have been in this industry for years by feeling like an imposter and second guessing our abilities. In this talk Josh shares his perspective as a relative newcomer to the industry as well as valuable insights on overcoming the need to compare yourself to others and thrive in your passion. 

As an Intern at BULKHEAD, Josh is not only helping to release content for the speed run game KILLRUN but also working on BULKHEAD's own IP WARDOGS. 

Make the most of your lunch break

Each day of Game Talks has a scheduled break for you to grab some refreshments, take a breather and reflect on all the cool and interesting things you’ve just heard—but there's also lots going on around the museum for you to enjoy. 

Make sure you eat and get some fresh air, but also have fun, be inspired and meet lots of like-minded people. 

GAMES LOUNGE

Our Games Lounge is a permanent gallery that explores the history of gaming. It has lots of new and classic consoles and arcade machines for you to play. 

Free, bookable slots have been reserved for festival delegates over the lunch break—booking details coming soon. 

CAREERS LOUNGE

Throughout the breaks of Game Talks, our Careers Lounge is your one stop for unwinding, playing games and taking advantage of unmissable opportunities to speak to professionals from the UK games industry. Gain practical career advice and make contacts in a relaxed, informal atmosphere.

Our Careers Lounge will include:

• Career Surgeries – Drop in and speak to gaming professionals working in the industry. It’s an exciting opportunity to ask your questions, gain portfolio guidance and career advice.
• Portfolio Reviews – Get some constructive feedback on your own work from a variety of industry professionals. 

There will also be a variety of games from studios and speakers you’ve seen talk that day, plus some just for fun.

Of course, your lunch break is for lunch. For food and drink, our museum café serves hot and cold drinks, amazing cakes and sandwiches and salads. Pictureville bar serves great coffee and snacks for a quick pick-me-up. Bradford has some excellent cafes and restaurants if you wish to explore outside of the museum.