Game Workers Conference

Organizing starts by talking to your coworkers about your working conditions. Zenimax Workers United-CWA members show how they won historic contract protections that are being used today as workers rally against layoffs at Xbox this month. Watch the full video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=htkT...

Next week, unionized workers at Bethesda Game Studios will rally across their four studio locations to demand fair treatment amid mass Xbox layoffs. https://kotaku.com/bethesda-workers-rallies-next-week-protesting-mass-layoffs-2000714247

Talks from the 2026 conference are being uploaded onto our youtube channel over the coming weeks! Check out this year's keynote address from UVW-CWA Local 9433 President Aurelia Augusta on why we are entering the era of the Game Worker! Watch the full video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzhL...

HEALTHCARE TOWN HALL IS TONIGHT. SEE YOU THERE!

It's been so exciting going over photos from our Game Workers Conference watch parties over the past few weeks. If anyone has any photos or videos from your own watch parties or Game Workers Conference experiences, please send them our way!

🚨 Our Healthcare Town Hall is in ONE WEEK!!!! 🚨 Game workers in the US, we'd love to hear from you about the current challenges you face securing insurance and get your feedback on a couple of the things we've got cookin'. Registration link is here 👇

Congrats and thanks to all speakers and organisers who made this event possible! And big thank you to all who organised and/or attended a watch party. We had such interesting discussions during the lunch break and after the talks.

If you enjoyed the talk and want to dig into it more, my PhD dissertation on Gamergate and fascism is available for free online here: spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/98...

If you haven't watched the @gameworkerscon.bsky.social streams yet, you've missed out on some really good talks, not just about unions, but also taking care of yourself, and the people around you. youtu.be/CFF97OjUEtk youtu.be/3e1yOhVyMfw

Thank you to everyone who tuned into our first ever Game Workers Conference! Onto next year! Conference streams are still freely available Day 1: www.youtube.com/live/CFF97Oj... Day 2: www.youtube.com/live/3e1yOhV... And please fill out our feedback form: gameworkersconference.org/feedback-form

Really good breakdown of the process of talking to your coworkers in this talk from Zenimax Workers United

really good talk on freelancing happening right now, tune in!!!

We are back from break with United Videogame Workers Freelancing Committee! Come join the stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e1y...

Everyone please wish Alison and the rest of Blizzard SFD good luck, they've just started sessions with their bargaining committee, so the work is just beginning!

From @gameworkerscon.bsky.social: DOWN WITH "FUCK YOU, I GOT MINE" BRING BACK GIVING A SHIT ✊✊✊

This talk is so good! Required reading for all developers, and triple for those who feel powerless and alone

Carolyn Jong, on how employers are, in fact, the ones benefitting the most when gaming audiences direct their anger towards vulnerable game workers, and how that produces a chilling effect that can undermine organizing efforts.

one of the great things about pre-recording conference talks like this is, as conference organizers, sometimes you get a big reveal early because of the magic of time travel

We are back from break! www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e1y...

We're picking up from break in about 45 minutes with our games journalist panel! What a great time to join the stream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e1y...

In their talk, Palestinian Voices in Games highlighted a number of projects from Palestinian creators. Here, they are talking about Rasheed Abuideh's Dream on a Pillow

Really interesting to hear about the specific organizing challenges in other countries. In Brazil, many game workers are forced to incorporate if they work as independent contractors. This makes them ineligible for many worker protections, since they are classified as a company.

Learning about works councils and unionization in Germany from Ver.di also learning how to pronounce "Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft"

IWGB Game Workers gives us an update on the Rockstar Games Workers Union: "as you can see, rumours of the Rockstar Games Workers Union's death have been greatly exaggerated. The support we've received from all areas has been one of the most invigorating parts of this whole situation."

As you're watching today's talks, here are some common themes to be thinking about, courtesy of Emma Kinema "I'd encourage us to be thinking about the need to form connection and solidarity across workplaces, disciplines, issues, and borders."

We're about to kick off Day 2 of the Game Worker's Conference in 10 minutes! Come join the stream here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e1y... Did you know--our intro animation was made entirely through union members volunteering their time?

Get your water, snacks and notepad, Day 2 of the @gameworkerscon.bsky.social is starting shortly! The stream is up on YouTube: www.youtube.com/live/3e1yOhV...

Missed Day 1 of the GWC? No problem! The entire stream is still up on our youtube channel: youtu.be/CFF97OjUEtk?... Want to catch up but don't know where to start? Josh Boykin's talk on "Building Intentional Communities, Taking Intentional Actions" is a VIBE and a great way to start off your day

aaaand we are wrapping up Day 1 of Game Workers Conference! We hope you'll join us tomorrow online or at one of our watch parties! We've got more talks from unions around the world A panel from various games journalists The intersections between games and politics

some really cool framing from Black in Gaming's panel today about treating Community as Infrastructure, and making sure everybody eats.

this panel is happening right now! Come here from worker cooperatives from across the industry! www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFF9...

thinking about him...

The talks today have been top notch. Equal parts educational and inspirational. ❤️🩵

It tends to be rare for workers in the games industry to receive secondary payments or royalties. But for many performers, secondary payments are far more commonplace. Why can't this be the case for ALL game workers? Really insightful to hear Sarah and Zeke's thoughts on this.

we're back from break with Sarah and Zeke talking about SAG-AFTRA, their recent strike, and answering some pre-submitted game worker questions

One of the ways to really tell how healthy an industry is, is by hearing what the juniors and students are saying. Really excited we were able to get this wonderful panel of students and recent grads together to speak to their perspectives!

We had a great talk from Jenny and Marina from CSVI (recorded in Spanish!) about the specifics of organizing in the Spanish videogame industry

couldn't be us. Also, one of the cool things about worker led conferences is we don't need to run ads so we can do cool things like shouting out our fellow organizing workers at Wizards of the Coast

Austin Kelmore on why it's important for workers to be tracking their own organizing movements: "do you think that [these CEOs ] would accurately represent your story... or do you want to tell your own story? do you want to be able to explain why groups of workers have come together?

Watching at @boshis.place! Exciting programs and initiates being discussed in the opening keynotes by president Aurelia Augusta including healthcare, hardship fund, organizing fellowships, and game workers bill of rights.

"I think we need to understand ourselves as workers in this industry, a lot more than we do." Aurelia Augusta - President, UVW-CWA Local 9433

My talk is immediately after the opening keynote, so hop on soon to catch it!