After a challenging 2024 for people who make video games, Skillfull founder Gina Jackson is clear on what studios will be looking for in 2025. Technical skills in AI, machine learning, and AR/VR development will all be in high demand, as well as designers who can understand and ethically engage with generative AI.
"Equally, we’ll need skilled storytellers and designers who can work seamlessly with AI tools," Jackson adds, reflecting on the skills that will likely be in most demand this year. "There’s also a growing need for people who can understand and develop responsible game practices, incorporating ethics and player wellbeing into game design."
Gina Jackson's games industry career has been "long and diverse." Starting in internal development, she moved to publishing supporting developers, and "then on to scouting and business development creating new revenue streams with innovative products and services."
Over 30 years, her work has mostly centred on not only games but the people who make them, "whether it's diversity, inclusion, skills or mental health – it's all about how to support people in a better way."
Today, Jackson is looking to transform how we fund games development with Pitchify.
"It takes everything I learned from setting up the NextGen Skills Academy, where we were able to transform games education with employer-led, employer-written qualifications that are free to young people through a network of existing Further Education colleges across the UK," she explains, stressing her hope that other women, too, can identify and utilise the diverse pathways and disciplines that are available in the games industry.
As part of this work, Jackson authored The Skills Crisis in the UK Games Sectorreport last year: an in-depth state-of-the-nation report which identified gaps in the UK games industry's knowledgebase.
"The crisis I wrote about in the report is a complex issue stemming from skills, training and talent management too often being seen as someone else's problem and that it’s often felt that games developers and publishers just need to focus on the game's creation and commercialisation in the short term," Gina explained.
"This attitude has left a void between education and the training ecosystem with games employers. Having a stable talent pipeline is always required to have a pool of the right talent to service our fabulously creative industry."
Part of this stems from industry leaders who need to learn how to collaborate as well as lead. Jackson says she hears all too often about universities not producing employable staff, but ultimately, employers themselves seem unclear about what skills they want when asked directly.
"When I asked employers what skills and job roles they wanted in one to five years, I got very little back," Jackson explains. "Our focus is very often on the short term, very project to project, potential hit to hit. Chasing success rather than planning for it. I believe that by putting the right talent development foundations in place for long-term sustainable success, we can ride over the bumps in the road – not just be trashed by them.
"A few leaders are overly focused on short-term gains, which can result in high turnover and burnout. We also need to rethink talent retention strategies that rely on perks over genuine career development."
Gina Jackson
For this, Jackson recommends a meaningful shift toward policies that recognise the value of work-life balance, continuous learning, and a commitment to EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), but "most of those have been axed in the last six months" as studios scrambled to cut costs.
"Part of this is driven by our preferred funding model which requires massive ten-times growth in the short term, so to expect any other priorities is a bit foolish," she explains.
To maximise your chances of securing your next dream games industry job, Jackson's advice is to "be concise, but impactful." Highlight your achievements in a results-orientated way and "don't shy away from including any contributions that improved the team, processes, or final product."
"Tailor your CV to each job, be aware you will probably go through an automated system which will use word matching, so ensuring you emphasise relevant skills and the use the right word, the ones in the job ad," Jackson adds. "A CV is there to get you an interview, it’s a stepping stone to the next stage.
"Don’t try to go it alone. Whether you’re looking for a job or creating a game, it takes a lot of emotional resilience. For me, working with others or doing things for others makes it so much easier. Plus, since you’re likely to be part of a team eventually, reconnecting with a community or group can be super helpful.
"There are tons of accelerators, bootcamps, and training programs out there right now – both for games and other industries," she adds. "Over the past year, I’ve run bootcamps with Game Republic, NextGen, Film London, The Prince’s Trust, and Sony PlayStation. I’ve also taken part in the Games London GameChangers program and the Barclays Product Builder Programme and worked with the Game Academy programmes. In every case, the journey and the cohort were key. Being challenged, exploring new ways of thinking, and improving how we work is valuable for everyone.
"Looking for a new role or starting a business is tough, and we all have good and bad days. But having a support system and learning with others can make the process so much better."
And what should studios do to ensure they're attracting the very best talent?
"Studios should clearly communicate their culture, values, and commitment to growth and development," Jackson suggests. "Highlighting inclusivity, work-life balance, and opportunities for advancement can set a studio apart in an industry that’s known for demanding environments. I would also love to see the salary and more information on how the studio is funded so each side has the same expectations.
"Having the right advice is [similarly] crucial," Jackson adds. "It’s tempting to treat recruitment like procurement – where you list the skills and experience you need, check them off, and assume the candidate will fit. But building a great team isn’t that simple. Good recruitment teams, whether in-house or external, can help you create highly effective, well-functioning groups.
"Hiring mistakes can have a ripple effect on the entire team, so getting it right is really important. Investing in thoughtful recruitment pays off in the long run so take the time and work with those who know how to do it well, it’s a learned and tricky skill and very few people get it right, so always seek expert advice – it will pay off."
Whilst the games industry continues to recover from a bruising eighteen months or so, Jackson is confident things will improve next year.
"2024 was a very unsettling year where things you never imagined changing have," Jackson concludes. "There has been huge personal impacts on so many people, but I look forward to a period of regeneration in 2025.
"In the meantime, one of the most inspiring things happening during the redundancies and company closures right now is how people are stepping up to support each other. It shows we can work together on a personal level – we just need to figure out how to bring that same energy to the corporate collaborations."
More information on Pitchify can be found on Pitchify.games. The Skills Crisis in the UK Games Industry 2024 report can be requested from the Skillfull.uk website.