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The next free GI Academy student event set for October 27th - 29th

GI Live: Academy returns to Discord, in partnership with Creative Assembly

Last year's hit online GI Academy student event is back this Half Term.

GI Live: Academy is an entirely free, digital-only event that takes place in Discord between October 27th - 29th. Industry professionals from some of the UK's biggest games developers, plus a few famous faces, will be dropping into the Discord to take part in roundtables, to advise students on pathways into video games, to review portfolios, and to share insight into what they do, and what it is like working in this business.

From voice actors to programmers, artists to musicians, producers to journalists, GI Live: Academy will be three days filled with expert advice on breaking into the industry. Students can sign up here.

Our partner for the event is once again Total War developer Creative Assembly, which will be providing a plethora of masterclasses and expert speakers across the three days.

Chloe Bonnet, lead cinematic animator at Creative Assembly, will be discussing motion capture during one session. Douglas Pennant, development manager, will tell attendees how they can prepare themselves for game production. Meanwhile, UX designer Anna Wikstorm and lead UI/UX game designer Alex Tokmakchiev will give viewers an intro to UI and UX in video games.

"Creative Assembly is delighted to once again be the main sponsor of the GI Live: Academy student conference," said Creative Assembly's head of talent Emma Smith.

"The conference strongly aligns with our approach to education; it's free and globally accessible. This means we can reach many more students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds who may not have had the opportunity to access industry experts before."

Other developer signed-up to take part include Ubisoft Reflections, Sumo Digital and DR Studios. The full schedule will be revealed next week.

During the event, students can watch keynote presentation, take part in live Q&A sessions, join intimate industry roundtables, and meet with games professionals one-to-one. There will also be surprise guests throughout the show. Last year, video games luminaries including Charles Cecil and Rhianna Pratchett joined the discussion.

The final day of the event will be focused on the next steps students can take to begin their journey into the video games business.

To book your free tickets, click here.

Games developers, publishers and media looking to take part, simply email Jamie.Sefton@gamesindustry.biz.