We’re raising £100,000 to make 2024 the year we move the needle on social mobility in the UK games sector

Our Work

Into Games is a non-profit organisation. Since 2019 we have;

• Supported 306 people directly into their first role
  

• Connected 100,000 young people to a meaningful career experience with a sector professional.
  

• Upskilled 250 school career advisors in over 100 schools across the UK.
  

• Provided hundreds of free places and funding for people from low-income backgrounds to get access to UK games career events.
  

• Delivered the UK’s 1st report on Apprenticeships in the games sector

Our Plan

This website outlines our 2024 delivery plan with outcomes based on our five-pillar framework. It is the beginning of our 10-year strategy to ensure the UK games sector can enable true social mobility within its workforce.

INSPIRE

2024 Delivery goals

• Relaunching the Videogames Ambassadors with UKIE for 2024 with a new online platform and an improved regional focus.
  

• Support at least 160 school opportunities, reaching 20,000 young people with powerful career conversations in some of the UK’s most deprived regions.
  

• Create a comprehensive open-source educational pack providing easy access to our previous school workshops, afterschool club and Studio Live for any teacher or sector professional to use and deliver for free.
  

As of 2023, over 750 games sector staff have signed up to the Videogame Ambassadors programme, along with 455 schools.

As little as £50 can pay for the logistics and travel costs for a one-off schools careers workshop.

GUIDE

2024 Delivery goals

• Deliver six in-person UK games careers events directly in the heart of areas of historic deprivation in East Sussex, South London, Leicestershire, Farnborough, Cambridgeshire & Warrington
  

• Update our National Entry Level Skills Hub to provide career seekers and educators with an up-to-date assessment of the latest skills requirements in UK studios
  

• Deliver national training for career advisors to keep them upskilled with knowledge of the sector, and create a Guide to Careers Advice which will act as a permanent and free resource for industry and career professionals to know how to give great support.
  

Our in-person games careers fair in Lewisham in October 2023 saw over 400 visitors from the local community, with 1-2-1's, live talks and workshops from 20+ stall holders.

£250 will pay for a workshop at a careers fair, supporting people in the heart of their communities.

NURTURE

2024 Delivery goals

• Provide 150 free spaces on our discipline-specific Into Games Sprints technical skills training for those from low socio-economic background, delivered by some of the UK’s best developers.
  

• Launch our £30,000 national bursary for young people from working-class backgrounds, supporting funds for equipment, events and training. This starts in January 2024 and will be distributed via a quarterly application process.
  

In 2023, we launched our first range of industry-led, high-quality training courses with 220 participants taking part.

£200 supports a month-long training course with a dedicated sector professional offering invaluable advice and guidance on workflows and techniques.

HIRE

2024 Delivery goals

• The IG50 Awards runs for the third year, highlighting the 50 most promising new upcoming diverse talent in the sector and providing them with post-award support.
  

• We aim to create at least 40 new accessible entry-level opportunities including paid work experience, internships and apprenticeship positions, through bespoke support and a Guide to Entry Level Hiring.
  

• Launch two “Waypoints” - areas of skills excellence for games. We’re starting in East Sussex and South London and building the foundations for further Waypoints in The North of England and Scotland in 2025
  

Over 50% of the IG50 award winners are now working in games, with all stating that the awards supported their interview process.

£100 can sponsor the delivery of the awards for 1 of our winners, providing them with ongoing career support.

IGNITE

2024 Delivery goals

• Release our ‘Entry-level Report 2024’; an upcoming assessment and review of some of the most successful internship and entry-level programmes at UK games studios.
  

• Sign up 100 new Videogames Ambassadors from low-income or working-class backgrounds and train at least 10% of them to be great mentors, educators and public speakers through Into Games Champions.
  

• Launch our Emerging Leaders Training to support the next generation of inclusive games leaders. We‘ll offer this completely free to 12 industry professionals from low socio-economic backgrounds.
  

In 2023, we trained over 150 sector staff through our Champions programme in mentorship, allyship and working with young people, creating a group of confident industry advocates.

Your Donation

We are a 100% non-profit organisation; we raise funds through grants, low-cost training programmes and donations.

This work is only possible through fundraising and every pound helps. We are excited to keep you updated on our progress as we move into 2024 and beyond.

We operate under a strict fiscal process with a lean methodology that ensures every penny's value goes as far as possible.

What can £1k do?

If you are a UK studio and would like to support this programme, we urge you to think what £1000 can do. If 100 studios support our 2024 delivery plan, we’re done.

£1000 can support training, equipment costs and networking events - it’s a transformative sum.

All industry partners who donate above £1k will receive our Gameplan digital badge to showcase the support on your website proudly.

Press

What Can I Do Now?

Totaliser!

Our campaign runs until April 2024 unless we hit our target sooner.

We’ll update the Totaliser every week with the latest amount.

Click Donate below and help us reach 100,000 people in 2024, building the foundations for a fairer and more representative UK games sector.

£16,500

(April 2024)

Our 2023 Partners

We would not be able to do any of this work without our existing incredible partners and friends;

Game Plan Supporters

Thank you to each and every organisation who has so far supported Game Plan 2024 - your donations massively support our mission to move the needle on social mobility in games