Members Spotlight: Games Leadership

We sat down with Melissa Phillips, Director and Founder of Games Leadership®️, who pulls us into the depths of the games industry to talk about the strengths of the subsector, what it takes to be a great leader, and the need for sustainable funding models in gaming and the wider sector.

Who are you and what do you do?

We’re Games Leadership®. We offer Leadership Support, Coaching, CPD Training, Community and more built specifically for the Games Industry. Our work focuses on helping Leads, Directors, and Founders build healthier Studios to do their best work, and fostering sustainable Leadership practices across all levels to help build a stronger, thriving future for Games and the people who make them.

What are you currently working on?

Lots of things! We’re busy prepping for another cohort soon to start our flagship programme, the Games Leadership® Blueprint. It’s a unique 12-week course that helps leaders explore their own authentic approach to leading, covering various topics and areas that don’t get discussed enough in our Industry. We’re also developing new workshops, spanning topics such as Neurodiversity in Action, Giving & Receiving Feedback, and Managing Change. We like to stay busy!

What has been your organisation’s proudest achievement?

Launching our Games Leadership® Blueprint course has definitely been our proudest moment so far! Seeing our participants grow in confidence, strengthen their teams, and find sustainable ways to lead has been hugely rewarding. We’re there for those ‘lightbulb’ moments, and get to see the real impact that their time with us goes on to have. It’s exactly what we hoped for when building the programme, formed through our own experiences of working and leading in Games. We’re really proud that the programme is making a positive impact across studios of all sizes, and that what we set out to achieve is resonating.

How is your organisation working to champion EDI within your sector?

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion is at the core of what we do. We create accessible learning opportunities, offer scholarships through our Network initiative for underrepresented leaders, and design training that actively considers different lived experiences. We encourage leaders to reflect deeply on power, privilege, and inclusion in their own practice – making equity part of everyday leadership. The heart of what we do and what we stand for as a company is around making space for every kind of leader, and that extends to making sure our work is accessible to all.

What are three things you’re loving in your sector right now?

1. The fearless creativity of independent studios. It’s a really exciting (if unsteady) time in the Industry, and we’re seeing lots of new studios popping up and being more determined than ever to push the boundaries of storytelling and gaming experiences – including how they’re made.

2. Increasing openness about mental health, neurodiversity, and wellbeing. There’s been steady progress (and there’s certainly more work to do), but it’s refreshing to see these topics becoming increasingly standard discourse. We’ve seen them coming up more in interviews, too, showing what the next generation of developers expect to see from their employers.

3. More leaders recognising the value of professional development. We’ve been shouting for a while now about outdated ideas and practices around Leadership – but we’re seeing this realisation across the Industry now that the work isn’t ‘done’ once you hit a particular career milestone, and that’s refreshing. Rethinking more traditional ideas around leadership and the linear ‘career ladder’ is our bread and butter!

And three things you’re not loving so much in your sector?

1. The pressure of unstable funding models and lack of funding in general. We’re seeing the effects that unsustainable models have on projects with potential and the people involved. There’s an opportunity here to rethink the system and its structures, try something different, and ultimately build something stronger – but it won’t happen overnight.

2. Mass layoffs. It’s a really weird and unsettling time. It’s disheartening to wake up to the news of another fresh round of layoffs, and we’re supporting where we can within our own community. There’s a lot of fear, and it’ll take a while to feel steady again. One resulting positive is seeing brilliant affected individuals get together and start their own thing.

3. Persistent crunch and burnout. We’ve not been great as an Industry in protecting our Teams from crunch but we are seeing studios try new different approaches, and that’s exciting. There’s increasing demand for meaningful work-life balance.

Who would be your dream collaborator/collaboration?

Honestly, what excites us most is simply the potential of new partnerships. We’re always looking for ways to work with organisations and people who share our values, and who want to make a lasting impact on Leadership in the Games Industry. They see what we’re offering and what we stand for, and they get it. When we’re contacted by or hear about an organisation as passionate as we are about making a real difference, it really fills our cup!

What does creativity mean to you?

For us, creativity is about possibility. It’s that spark that allows ideas to form and take shape in unexpected ways. It’s exactly what we love about this Industry and the medium of Games. Seeing a full title come together from a simple greybox blockout or initial idea never gets old. The amount of collaboration, expertise and problem-solving involved is truly impressive. It’s about following and trusting that spark, and seeing where it takes you. A large part of our own work at Games Leadership® is exactly that. Creativity is fundamentally human, and the human side of leadership is at the heart of what we do.

What’s next for your organisation?

We’ve got a lot lined up for the rest of the year and beyond, but we’re currently expanding our Blueprint programme cohorts, launching new Studio Workshops, and developing additional resources to make Leadership support more accessible to all. We have lots of ideas and projects in the works that are all really exciting, and we can’t wait to share them. We’re certainly keeping busy!

What do you think needs to change in the UK’s Cultural and Creative Industries?

We need sustainable funding models and support structures that reduce reliance on overworking and cycles of burnout. Creative leaders need more accessible pathways to training, and we must continue breaking down the barriers that stop underrepresented voices from leading. We all benefit from a wide variety of perspectives and experiences, and putting in the work to champion this and open doors should be at the forefront of all cultural, creative and creative-adjacent organisations.