Videogames and Unionisation: Panel Event

On Tuesday 3 March, 17:00-18:30, the Bristol Digital Game Lab, the Centre for Law at Work and the Centre for Global Law and Innovation are pleased to co-host a panel discussion on Videogames and Unionisation. The event is free and open to all, and will be hosted in G.07 Workshop Room, Bristol Digital Futures Institute.

The labour conditions of game workers have been an active subject of discussion since at least 2004, when the disgruntled spouse of an Electronic Arts developer published an anonymous post detailing the frequent use of 'crunch time' (extended, compulsory overtime) within the videogame industry. In the last couple of years, working conditions in the industry have deteriorated even further: there have been massive job losses even within historically successful studios, a trend that has continued. Increasingly, game workers have turned to unionisation and collective action, but this has also proven fraught for many. Most recently, Rockstar North (the Edinburgh-based studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series) was alleged to have sacked more than 30 employees due to their efforts to unionise.

It is against this backdrop that our panel discussion takes place. Confirmed speakers include:

Dr Jorge Leyton Garcia, co-director, Centre for Law at Work

Chris Bratt, co-founder, People Make Games

Carter Rich, Lvl Up Partners

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Host or Publisher CLHR and CPCL, University of Bristol