The event was an opportunity for figures from the local games industry to come together at our studio to share their own perspectives and seek collective solutions to help us provide better mental health support.
Unity In Dialogue
In the wake of the gathering, candid conversations about mental health in the games industry continue to resonate.
Representatives from a long list of studios took part, including Wushu, Draw & Code, Firesprite, Radical Forge, Skyhook, Avalanche Studios Group, Scenegraph, Sweet Baby Inc. and more. All of which contributed massively to a growing sense of unity towards addressing our shared challenges.
To reflect on the event, we caught up with attendees Andrew Hanlon, Mental Health Manager of the LFC Foundation, and Dom Shaw, Ukie EDI Coordinator for their thoughts on the roundtable, the unique challenges our industry faces, and why it’s crucial for games studios to continue to work together and tackle these issues as a united front.
Encouraging Candid Conversations
The entire afternoon was dedicated to genuine conversations about the real experiences faced by those in the North West games industry community.
Ukie’s refreshingly straightforward format, hosted by Gary King, Ripstone Brand Champion, encouraged discussions that explored the mental health challenges we face, both as a society as well as the challenges that are unique to our industry.
Gary, reflecting on the significance of this united effort, remarked, “We all aspire to create workplaces that prioritise the mental health and emotional well-being of our colleagues yet the challenges we encounter are not isolated to our specific studios. They reflect longstanding practices in our industry and broader societal changes. To address these shared issues, it makes sense for us to unite, combining our insights and working collaboratively to confront challenges that no one can tackle alone.”
Gathering Diverse Perspectives
Dom Shaw has been touring the UK for Ukie’s new ‘Activity Select’ series. Speaking after the event, he highlighted the importance of gathering diverse perspectives: “It is vital for #RaiseTheGame to gauge as many perspectives as possible, and to listen out for voices that often wouldn’t be heard or able to speak up.”
Dom also acknowledged the unique collaborative spirit of the North West stating, “I’ve found that there’s a great desire to find ways of working together and sharing centralised resources here.”
On the afternoon’s Mental Health Roundtable, Dom expressed that “mental health was specifically chosen to kick off the series due to the ever-increasing importance it has to the games industry” adding that “with many stories of redundancies, the long-term effects of the lockdown, and now the cost of living crisis, we are seeing more and more pressure. There’s an overall increase of anxiety within teams and a massive drain on energy levels across the sector. Knowing this, it’s crucial that we continue to build traction regionally while also deepening and strengthening established relations.”
Andy Handlon spoke on the challenges he’s noticed as being intrinsic to the games industry; “From what I’ve observed and heard about, one unique challenge would be the demographic of the games industry. Typically, there are higher numbers of males, higher neurodiversity rates and higher numbers of people working alone on complex and stressful projects. It can be an environment where social isolation and a lack of avenues to express concerns about mental health are more common than in other sectors of society.”
On the importance of events like this, Andy furthered Dom’s sentiment, adding “I believe the key to supporting those in the games industry with their mental health is to better understand the profile of its people. Without this step, all of this is guesswork. The real answers come from engaging with and talking to those who live and breathe this industry, they are key to understanding what is needed to improve mental health within the game dev community.”
Ripstone’s Role
Continuously levelling up our own mental health efforts will always remain a priority, and this year we’ve adopted many new initiatives to improve what we offer to our people. However, we know there will always be more progress to be made.
When asked about Ripstone’s role and the importance of hosting events like this, Gary emphasised our continuing commitment not only to our own people but also to the local games industry as a whole:
“Ripstone recently sponsored the inaugural Games Mental Health Summit in London, hosted by BAFTA and Safe in Our World. During the event, we recognised a genuine need to sustain the momentum of the discussions it ignited. Hosting the Ukie’s Activity Select roundtable emerged as an excellent opportunity to extend the conversation beyond London, involving those unable to attend, and kickstarting local efforts.”
Flowing Forward Together
In the wake of the #RaiseTheGame roundtable at Ripstone, it is clear to us that there’s a strong and authentic desire within the North West games industry for us all to continue to work together, encouraging conversations and shared commitment.
The event provided valuable insights for an upcoming Ukie report, but it’s also worked to add momentum to Ukie’s ongoing mission to #RaiseTheGame.
As the dialogue continues, the North West games industry remains steadfast in its dedication to prioritising mental health and well-being. We look forward to participating in and facilitating more events like this going forward.
Find more information on Ukie, and details of future #RaiseTheGame Activity Select events, here.
Local? Find out more about the work the LFC Foundation does in your community, here.
