Melbourne International Games Week’s Education Symposium is your must-attend event this October for all things careers in the games sector. What’s more - it’s completely free.
From October 3 to October 13, Melbourne International Games Week is taking over the city of Melbourne. With a wealth of events for industry professionals, students, educators and the general public, MIGW is teaming up with Creative Victoria to celebrate our city’s vibrant and thriving games sector, including the first Games Education Symposium.
Games Education Symposium: Careers and Frontiers will be a bold new addition to Melbourne International Games Week. The two-day symposium will take place over October 3 and 4 at Fed Square and is completely free, although registration is essential. Thursday October 3 will happen at The Edge and focus on the secondary school industry. Additionally, Friday October 4 will be at ACMI and focus on the tertiary sector and industry.
Games Education Symposium: Careers and Frontiers
- Melbourne International Games Week
- October 3 and 4, 9am to 5pm
- The Edge and ACMI, Fed Square
- Free to attend, register here
Find Melbourne’s latest film, TV, literature and gaming news here.
Secondary and tertiary students, parents, educators, career advisors, games studios and industry professionals will come together to connect over an ever-evolving games sector through the theme of Careers and Frontiers. Fran Kerlin, Senior Manager of Games and Industry Partnerships at Creative Victoria, says that the Games Education Symposium is for anyone interested in pursuing a career in games.
“The core objective [of the symposium] is to inspire and motivate the next generation to seriously consider the broad options of a games career and how this is future-facing and fulfilling,” Fran says. “Through MIGW and a range of year-round initiatives, the Victorian government is keen to strengthen Melbourne and Victoria’s robust games eco-system with a continued pathway to both indie and AAA studios.”
Education is key to a thriving industry
The purpose of educating future games industry professionals isn’t only to open them up to potential career options. The symposium is also about strengthening both Melbourne and Victoria’s own sectors with new and exciting talent.
“We want to keep our budding talent here in Victoria,” Fran says. “To enable that to happen, then it’s important to keep our industry growing, offering opportunities and incentives for studios to continue to open and grow and encourage local talent to grow here too.”
As a new addition to MIGW, Fran emphasises that a focus on education is vital for an industry to thrive. “Education is all about preparing the way for the future,” she says.
“We are always talking to education and industry, listening to their challenges and aspirations. It was as a result of this listening that we felt there was a burning need for all parties to come together. To plan together, to share identities and common journeys that we could grow together, to service the next generation.”
A games sector worth celebrating
Games Education Symposium isn’t just an event for education, it’s an event for celebration. “Melbourne has a distinctive games culture and we want to celebrate this and promote it to the world,” Fran says. “We have active engagement by 14 Tertiary Institutes all offering games programs. The educational pathways are a key aspect of our industry and ignite Melbourne’s premium games position in the region.”
The symposium will not only include educational insights and opportunities for industry networking. There will also be an array of fun and exciting activities on offer throughout the two days.
Highlights include an international keynote by George Osborn (UKIE), a hackathon for tertiary students, career mentoring, rapid fire sessions by industry leaders, and much more. There will also be the Great Debate, where academics and industry professionals will debate the topic of Those Who Can Do; Those Who Can’t, Teach. A topic, Fran clarifies, that will add some light-hearted fun.
We now cross live to Denmark
Another standout from the symposium’s event program is a live session at a parallel conference in Denmark. Addressing global trends in games education, the Danish conference will also be taking place on Friday October 4. “In typical Australian fashion,” Fran says, “We thought, if you can’t beat them, join them.”
“They are equally excited. [They] see this as a true opportunity of connecting the world through games thinking and ideas,” Fran adds. “Plus, it’s always interesting to see and hear what our friends from the other side of the world are thinking and doing. The sharing of ideas is a win-win for everybody.”
Access to ACMI After Dark and more
Both days of the symposium will also include special access to ACMI After Dark at the conclusion of the day’s events. Beginning at 5pm, Games Education Symposium attendees are invited on an exclusive tour of the exhibition. The evening of Friday October 4 will also include a networking event at ACMI.
Ultimately, Fran emphasises that the MIGW Games Education Symposium is all about setting up a thriving games sector for the future. “This is about mentoring,” Fran says. “[It’s] about sharing what it is really like working in the industry. [About] creating a positive bright future for the industry.” If you’re interested in a career in the games sector, or you want to learn more about how one is possible, this event is for you.
Find out more about the Games Education Symposium here.
This article was made in partnership with Melbourne International Games Week.
