GAMERella is excited to welcome the inaugural cohort of its first-ever game industry Mentorship Program. Bringing together 15 aspiring game-makers from across Canada, this 10-month-long program combines hands-on education, long-term mentorship, barrier-breaking research, and a deep commitment to inclusivity to empower the next generation of game-makers. 

“At GAMERella, we believe that game-making should be for everyone,” said Gina Hara, co-founder and co-director of GAMERella. “Since 2013, our game jams have played a pivotal role in helping over 400 individuals create their very first game, with many of them now serving as influential figures in the game industry. This program fills the void we have seen in the gaming industry even more, aiming to open more doors for equity-deserving groups.”

This year’s cohort is paired with 14 mentors from AAA studios, indie collectives, and experimental teams, including Adrienne Bazir, also known as insertdisc5, creator of the award-winning time-loop RPG In Stars and Time; Jess Rowen Marcotte, co-founder of the Soft Chaos Cooperative and co-organizer of the Queerness and Games Conference (QGCon) among many other feats; Juliette Devillers, lead character artist at the Montreal-based Don’t Nod studio; and many more.

With regular 1-on-1 mentorship sessions, professional development workshops, studio visits and career coaching, the program is separated into two phases: Press Start!, the beginning of training aimed at teaching the base of game-making skills and exposing the cohort to what options there are in the gaming industry; and Power Up!, the final part of the program which focuses on shadowing and internship opportunities. The first retreat for the inaugural program will be on July 17, where the cohort will meet in person for the first time in Montreal.

With inclusivity, empathy, access and sustainability at the core of this program, participants are 70 per cent people of colour, 60 per cent women or non-binary, and the entire program is free to participate in. 

Tied together with the GAMERella Game Jam, the world’s longest-running inclusive game jam held every November, the Mentorship Program is an extension of GAMERella’s existing work in creating a game industry where historically under-recognized people are understood, accepted, and celebrated.

“GAMERella is more than a jam or a mentorship: it’s a community,” said Courtney Blamey, co-director of GAMERella. “We’re building an industry where marginalizedcreators not only have space, but lead.”

Made possible thanks to support from the Canada Media Fund, partners for the GAMERella Mentorship Program include EA Motive, Don’t Nod, District 3, Baby Ghosts, Pixel & Poutine and more. For more information on GAMERella, visit here.