The Funding System in the Gaming Industry: A House of Cards

At the Game Developer Conference, Latoya Peterson, co-founder and CXO of Glow Up Games, gave a talk on the flaws in the gaming industry's funding system. She highlighted the similarities between the gaming industry's funding structure and the private equity investment system, which exploits organizations and turns them into commodities. Peterson noted that her experience in journalism, where she saw frequent layoffs and downsizing, has prepared her to take her career as an executive seriously and strive to create a better work environment. She emphasized that the gaming industry's funding system is a major obstacle to creating a stable and equitable work environment, as it prioritizes profit over people and creates a culture of instability. Peterson also discussed the challenges of finding funding for indie studios, particularly for women and people of color, and the need for a more diverse and equitable funding system. She argued that the current funding system is a "house of cards" that is vulnerable to collapse, and that a more stable and equitable system is necessary to support the growth and development of the gaming industry. Peterson also compared the gaming industry's funding system to the film industry, highlighting the diversity of funding sources available in film and the need for a similar approach in gaming. She concluded that the gaming industry needs to ask harder questions about its funding system and work towards creating a more equitable and stable environment for developers and studios.