Fostering a More Resilient Games Industry: Sara Veal's Vision

The Games London Ensemble initiative recently unveiled its 2026 cohort, featuring a diverse range of underrepresented games creatives in the UK. Among them is Sara Veal, founder of consultancy firm Huhbub and chair of GamesAid. Veal's work focuses on people and culture strategy, community engagement, and culture production, with the goal of building a more sustainable and supportive games industry. She emphasizes the importance of actively listening to developers, implementing wellbeing initiatives, and fostering a culture that values mental health and work-life balance. Veal advises studios to survey their teams, engage with the results, and create accessible support systems. She also stresses the need for leaders to model healthy behaviors, such as taking leave and speaking openly about stress. Veal notes that culture is more powerful than programs and can be healthier than relying on meditation apps or virtual socials. She encourages studios to clearly signpost free and affordable resources, integrate rest periods into production schedules, and ensure leaders visibly model healthy behaviors. In addition to her work with GamesAid, Veal has championed the game industry's generosity in creating lasting benefits for children and young people. Since joining GamesAid in 2022, Veal has helped the organization donate over £6.23 million to 21 charities, with £150,000 donated in 2023/24 alone. Veal believes that sustaining and growing this figure during industry turbulence is a testament to the industry's care and generosity. She is most proud of the team's growth since she became chair and values the range of past and present trustees she has worked alongside. Veal notes that GamesAid faces significant challenges as a small charity, but she is working to make it easier for individuals to get involved and tell the organization's story. She emphasizes that GamesAid is not just a nice-to-have, but speaks to the heart of the industry, and that the games community's generosity is worth protecting.