GI Academy Live Continues: Explore the Complete Schedule

The comprehensive schedule for the GI Academy digital event is now available, featuring a range of talks, roundtable discussions, and one-to-one sessions. Day two has concluded, and you can access recordings of the talks at the bottom of this article. This online event, which is completely free to attend, takes place from Wednesday, October 26th to Friday, October 28th. It includes keynote sessions with prominent industry figures, including indie developer Sam Barlow, Rare executive producer Louise O'Connor, and Ubisoft narrative designer and writer Chella Ramanan. The majority of the GI Academy will take place in a dedicated Discord channel, where students and industry professionals can engage with programmers, artists, game designers, journalists, composers, marketers, and many more. You can sign up for free here. The schedule for the final day, Friday, October 28th, is as follows: Talks Keynote Session: 'My Journey and Key Takeaways' Speaker: Chella Ramanan, Narrative Designer, Ubisoft Chella shares valuable insights and lessons learned throughout her career, from game journalist to narrative designer and writer at Ubisoft Massive. She discusses the importance of teamwork, getting your work noticed, and embracing individuality. Watch on YouTube 11:00 - 11:45 Masterclass: 'Designing Intuitive Player Experiences with the 3Cs' Speaker: Bence Kovacs, Senior Designer This masterclass focuses on designing player experiences that are intuitive and engaging. Bence Kovacs explores the key elements of player character, camera, and controls, and how to define and design these aspects to create a high-quality player experience. Watch on YouTube Roundtable Sessions 12:00 - 13:00 Room 1: Bence Kovacs, Senior Designer Room 2: Alice Toft, Learning and Development Room 3: Roberto Geroli, Development Director 13:00 - 14:00: Room 1: Jo Haslam, Design Director, Snap Finger Click Room 2: Daniel Woodward, Learning and Development Manager, nDreams Room 3: Jake Gaule, Freelance Audio and Composer 14:00 - 15:00: Room 1: Kev Bayliss, Character Designer and Artist, Playtonic Room 2: Stuart Wilson, 3D Environment Artist, XR Studios Room 3: Sarah Brin, Business Development Manager, Media Molecule One-To-One Sessions 10:00 - 11:00 Room 1: Roberto Geroli, Development Director Room 2: Lasse Rasmussen, Senior Technical Animator Room 3: Alex Rehm, Director of Live Operations 11:00 - 12:00 Room 1: Justyna Cichosz, Lead Animation Programmer Room 2: Cara Houghton, Environment Artist Room 3: Tjalle Keus, Senior Environment Artist 13:00 - 14:00 Room 1: Louise Andrew, Head of Art, D3T Room 2: Mark Ffrench, Senior Engineer, Pocket Burger Room 3: Dan Hutchinson, 3D Artist, D3T 14:00 - 15:00 Room 1: Jake Gaule, Freelance Audio Designer and Composer Room 2: Emei Burrell, Narrative Artist, Media Molecule Room 3: Dan Hutchinson, 3D Artist, D3T Sign up for free now. If you missed the sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, you can catch up on them here: Keynote Session: 'Game Development: Idea and Emotion' Speaker: Sam Barlow, Half Mermaid Sam Barlow discusses the fundamentals of game development, highlighting the relationship between players and the importance of unifying mechanical and narrative elements. Watch on YouTube Masterclass: 'Collaboration First: Effective Teamwork' Speaker: Roberto Geroli, Development Director This talk focuses on the importance of processes in fostering good team culture and cross-team collaboration. Roberto provides tips on being a valuable team member and developing your career, along with real-life case studies. Watch on YouTube Keynote Session: 'The Future of the Games Industry' Speaker: Louise O'Connor, Executive Producer, Rare Louise O'Connor reflects on the evolution of the games industry and its future. She shares her insights on what the industry means to her and its potential for everyone else. Watch on YouTube Masterclass: 'The Art of Technical Animation' Speaker: Agathe Laus-Pillot, Senior Technical Animator This talk breaks down the core aspects of technical animation, an essential area of game development. Agathe discusses the required skills, the purpose and use of rigs, and the role of technical animators in tool development. Watch on YouTube