6 Ways to Find and Interact and Collaborate with other people in the game industry

From making connections, getting jobs, learning new things, making friends in the industry, getting help and more! In this article we will look at how we can interact and connect with other game developers!

Many of us start our game development journey alone and it can be a challenge because we are so busy trying to make a game that when we do need help or advice or tips we rarely know where to turn. In this article I am going to dive into 6 (six) ways that you can find other developers and get connected more to the industry and thus collaborate, get tips, advice and more and become a part of it all!

1. Live Event Meetups and Social Groups

The following links are a great way to find local events in your area:

Meetup.com: Meetup is a great place to find local events simply by searching for ‘game developer’ groups in your local area. There are many various events targeted at developers (For example here in Toronto, Canada we have Hackernest and TechTO to name a few).

IGDA (https://www.igda.org/): The International Game Dev Association is a great place to find local events and many game developers are a part of the IGDA. You’ll find all kinds of great resources, including discounts and specials for various softwares and tools we all use (Ex. Unity Discounts, etc.)

Eventbrite.com: This is another great place to find local events going on in the software and development space. You’ll end up finding some great connections at many of these events.

2. Linked In Professional Connections

Another place is to get connections via LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the facebook of business and most people rarely carry business cards anymore. Everyone just has their phone and linked in with their QR Codes.

If you haven’t already, I recommend you go to LinkedIn and update your profile to make it look professional. Set it up in such a way that it matches your goals. For many its usually finding a job, so write down all you’ve done and all the game companies you’ve worked for and all the training and education you have. You should definitely write that you are a Unity Developer on there as well and remember that LinkedIn is generally considered an online resume.

Keep it clean, keep it professional and keep on connecting!

3. Discord Channels

Discord is another great place to find many developers and a go to resource for many. You can download discord today and start joining the various groups immediately. Here is the link to download Discord => http://discordapp.com

There are many game developer discord channels you can join which you can research online, but lets get you started by adding the OFFICIAL Unity Discord Channel using this link => https://discordapp.com/invite/unity

Other ones are generally available from popular YouTubers like Brackeys and Sykoo to Asset Store Creators who have discord channels for their assets. Do your research and find discord channels with developers you like to spend time with and have fun with.

4. Game Jams

Another place to find game developers who you can work with or connect with is at local game jams and online game jams.

Many times these game jams are done in short timeframes (Usually a weekend or 24/48 hour timeframes). One of the most popular ones is called Ludem Dare (https://ldjam.com/) and you’ll find many connections there with like minded developers.

NOTE: Some of these events cost fees, others will give away prizes and other fun things. Join what you want 🙂

5. Game Colleges and Universities

Here in Toronto we have the George Brown College which has an incredible gaming program and education arm. In fact I’m writing to you from the George Brown Incubator for startup companies!

You’ll find many others who share the same passion for game development and gaming and there are always many events and student game developers in the industry learning at these colleges and universities, so its a great place to find connections and other game developers.

6. Game Expos

Finally we have our game expos. These are special events that happen throughout the world and throughout the year. The most prominent one being GDC which is a huge event for Game Developers worldwide and usually held in the United States.

Check to see which events are happening near you and you’ll be able to find some of these fun expos generally in major cities.

CONCLUSION

Connecting with your peers locally and globally is a great way to stay up to date with the latest stuff and really become a part of the game industry. You never know who you’ll meet and sometimes you may end up teaming up with other like minded developers and go on to create the next big hit game!

Until next time, keep on grinding at the code 🙂 You’re a super star!! Keep up the great work and NEVER GIVE UP! You Got This!! BE A CHAMPION!

Nav is a Unity Live Expert and Mobile Game and App Developer

Join my ULTIMATE game development training program and make your game development dreams a reality! => http://www.academyofgames.com

“I’m a game dev making fun awesome RPG and Fantasy Games. Check out my games on Steam and all major mobile platforms today => Game Scorpion Inc.!”