Games industry careers in focus for students at Interactive Futures 2020

Interactive Futures – Leamington Spa’s celebration of the games talent and culture within the region – will open its doors to the public on Saturday, February 1.

Taking place at the Royal Spa Centre, Interactive Futures will give students, young people, children and their parents the opportunity to discover the myriad of job opportunities there are available for all within the thriving video games industry.

Conference sessions will provide practical advice and insight on careers, with topics including:-

• Beyond Coding: Why there’s a career in games for everyone
• What skills and qualifications are required for a career in games
• How to become an esports professional
• Everyone Welcome: How the games industry is tackling diversity and inclusion

Meanwhile, one of the godfathers of the games industry in Leamington Spa and beyond, Andrew Oliver will provide an insight into how the region became one of the most important games hubs in the UK – and the world! Andrew and his brother founded Blitz Games in Leamington Spa in 1990 and now run Game Dragons, advising and investing in games studios.

In addition, games industry royalty will be attending Interactive Futures, namely John and Brenda Romero, founders of the BAFTA Award-winning studio Romero Games. 

John Romero is an award-winning game development icon whose work spans over 130 games, 108 of which have been published commercially. He is the “father of first-person shooters” having led the design and contributed to the programming and audio design of the iconic and genre-defining games DOOM, Quake, Heretic and Hexen. John has co-founded eight successful game companies, including id Software.

Brenda Romero is a BAFTA award-winning game designer, artist and Fulbright award recipient who entered the video game industry in 1981. As a designer, she has worked on 47 games and contributed to many seminal titles, including the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series and titles in the Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons and Def Jam franchises.

In addition to the conference sessions, visitors to the event will have the opportunity to get hands-on with latest games created in the region, while a series of interactive workshops will also be taking place.

Game development icons John & Brenda @Romero to share #careers advice with students and parents

John and Brenda Romero, founders of the BAFTA Award-winning studio Romero Games, have been confirmed as headline speakers at Interactive Futures 2020, which takes place on January 31 and February 1 at the Royal Spa Centre in Leamington.

The two-day conference and expo will once again showcase to the industry and to the general public the rich seam of talent and opportunity within the Leamington Games Hub.

The event will highlight the region’s heritage within the UK video games industry, its talent and creativity, the unrivalled community of indie and major studios, and career opportunities – both for students, their parents and for those already working in games and beyond.

Conference topics will include Levelling Up: What skills and qualifications are required for a career in games; How we made it: Young indie developers discuss their careers; Beyond coding: Why there’s a career in games for everyone; and much more.

John Romero is an award-winning game development icon whose work spans over 130 games, 108 of which have been published commercially. He is the “father of first-person shooters” having led the design and contributed to the programming and audio design of the iconic and genre-defining games DOOM, Quake, Heretic and Hexen. John has co-founded eight successful game companies, including id Software.

Brenda Romero is a BAFTA award-winning game designer, artist and Fulbright award recipient who entered the video game industry in 1981. As a designer, she has worked on 47 games and contributed to many seminal titles, including the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series and titles in the Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons and Def Jam franchises.

Romero Games is currently producing the highly-anticipated upcoming 1920s gangster strategy game Empire of Sin, which will be published by Paradox Interactive in spring 2020.

Interactive Futures 2020 – What’s On

Interactive Futures is being funded by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), Warwickshire County Council and Warwick District Council, with the support of local industry.

On Friday, January 31, the Interactive Futures conference programme will also highlight key issues relevant to the region and the wider games industry, with topics including Ukie’s Regional Economic Impact Report – and why Leamington is punching above its weight; How to finance your game and studio; and How Leamington became one of the biggest games hubs in the UK.

Saturday, February 1 will see Interactive Futures open its doors to consumers and students to inspire the next generation of talent, with career opportunities the key focus for the day, during which John and Brenda will be on hand to help guide attendees on the best way forward for their professional goals.

An EXPO showcasing the best of the Leamington Games Hub will run throughout the two days.

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