We have some incredibly exciting news to share.
When Grads in Games (GiG) closed its doors as a CIC in 2024, it left a massive gap in the UK games ecosystem. For years, it was an essential pillar for students trying to break into the industry. The team here at Snappy Gurus stepped up to carry the torch, and we are officially bringing it back. The new platform will be a modernised take on the original, centred around connection between the industry, students and lecturers on a core platform.
Behind the scenes, we have been exploring ways to better support graduate/entry-level talent coming from games related backgrounds. Breaking into the sector is challenging, and seeing talented juniors struggle to bridge the gap between their studies and their first role is something we want to support and change. However, through our work at Snappy Gurus, we have realised that supporting graduates on their own is not enough. To truly make an impact on the talent pipeline, more support is needed for educators and studios to bring them closer together, and make hiring graduates easier.
Why We Are Doing Things Differently
The traditional study-to-studio pipeline faces real structural pressures. Higher education institutions face tight budget constraints and often struggle to secure consistent industry interaction for their classrooms. At the same time, studio development teams are busy and need simpler ways to guide educators on what practical skills are required in production. Without an active connection, students can feel isolated from the industry during their studies, and in some cases there are noticeable gaps between the quality of student work, and expectations in a production environment.
We are focused on ensuring that students are better prepared for commercial roles. To achieve this, we are building an integrated platform that supports learners, educators, and studios simultaneously. By helping tutors stay aligned with production workflows and assisting studios during the hiring process, we ensure that candidates enter the workforce with the right technical skills and expectations.
Supporting The Entry-Level Pipeline
Our updated framework provides a dedicated space to connect students, educators and industry. We are bridging the communication gaps so that educators have access to industry-vetted materials, studios have clear pathways to find fresh talent, and students receive the structured guidance they need to understand industry expectations and succeed.
A Look Inside the New Platform
We're reimagining the Grads in Games platform through a streamlined dual-portal platform, to reflect industry workflows and create a more intuitive journey for studios, educators, and emerging talent.
The Educator Portal
We are opening premium access for university lecturers and department heads. Tutors can use our new credit allocation model to smoothly book verified industry speakers for guest lectures and masterclasses, handling travel and logistics automatically. The portal also serves as a centralised hub for sharing game development curricula and accessing accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training blocks.
The Student Portal
The Student Portal gives learners direct access to industry-focused tools and support throughout their journey. Students can set up a personal profile linking directly to their portfolios, access resources and guidance, take technical discipline tests curated directly by game developers, and explore team-fit indicators to see which studios align with their personal work styles.
Building for Sustainability
Historically, initiatives in this space have relied heavily on external grants or changing corporate sponsorships. When the market experiences a quiet period, funding often dries up, leaving communities exposed. We want to make something genuinely sustainable that does not rely on other organisations for basic support, this is something we always aim for in our work, and we are committed to be self-reliant. This model is built to prevail through industry changes while remaining fully focused on supporting those who need it.
By establishing a balanced membership tier structure for institutions, we are building a framework that stands on its own feet. To provide extra security when studio hiring slows down, we are integrating an alternative careers database. This section will explicitly highlight adjacent sectors, such as simulation, visualisation, and medical tech, where the technical expertise of game developers is highly valued. This ensures that graduates always have clear paths to professional roles.
What About Search for a Star?
Of course, Grads in Games does not come without its flagship event Search for a Star student awards, and we will be bringing this back. However, we will be moving one step at a time to get the platform off the ground and to ensure the event is truly valuable to students, graduates and educational institutions. We have big goals in this space, and we cannot wait to explore in-person events with you all.
The Roadmap
Taking on Grads in Games is no small feat, and we are very thankful to the support we have received so far from educational institutions, mentors and studios. For us, bringing it back just made sense, and fits perfectly into our goals for the future. We want to make an impact to the many individuals graduating from games programmes, but the issue runs much deeper and must be addressed to make this happen.
Right now we are gathering ideas and researching exactly what studios and educators both want/need. This research will allow us to create something that perfectly supports the pipeline, creating a positive impact for future students and graduates to preserve early routes into jobs.
If you are working at a UK educational institution, or studio (Games or adjacent), we would love to get you involved in this process.
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