As I drove away from Brighton this year, a car full of yoga mats, and my legs exhausted from the walking my mind was whirring and full of conversations and snippets of information I’d heard. All permiating a little piece of something that would no doubt pop out later in the year as a eureka moment for Fresh Seed.

The atmosphere was accepting. The heat may have helped - we all sweltered and melted in the tropical temperatures - but something has shifted. We are all making the best of what remains and looking to build community and connection in new ways. 

Networks buzzed, the side events seemed busier than ever, the conversations all talked to what now, what next? And it was, as always brilliant. 

This year we launched our first fully programmed Wellbeing Hub in the Quiet Room. This was a huge step towards welfare for the industry. Our mission to provide a space for the wellbeing and welfare of those who work in the industry and attend events. So it was a delight to see it being so well received and supported. As the people flowed through the hub, making the most of the soundbaths, lego play, meditation or yin yoga there was a sense that somehow people could air what they were feeling in safely facilitated way.  This hub and its energy are growing and over the next year we will be extending its services to offer onsite welfare for everyone, as well as running retreats and starting a walking community. This for us is key to people feeling safe, supported and that their welfare matters. That way studios can get on with the business of making games whilst we take care of the people.

Develop is a spectacle of talent, a showcase of the best of the industry. Everywhere you go there’s side events, awards and the exhibition all celebrating our brilliance. But beneath that veneer there’s a sadness. The people who have left, the talent that wasnt retained, the people who were brutally discarded from the industry and those still feeling the impact of the loses who managed to stay on but are now repairing from years of change and challenge. If we are to recover we must remember that the people who make the games matter, their voices should be heard and their welfare should matter. We can’t continue to ride the waves of changes year on  year, which is lets face it predictable, and not consider the human cost

People talk of future worries but without their collective voice being heard we will continue to neglect them in persuit of the next briliant game and highest profit margin. If we can achieve one thing it is to put people at the heart of the industry by providing them with a space to be heard, supported and their welfare be looked after. 

I always leave Develop feeling like I know only a few people, yet last week and the post event tiredness would certainly tell me differently. There’s so much energy and positivity, always a buzz and always optimism. Was this year different, no? But did this year have something new to show? Yes. Acceptance has become knowledge. AI has become a weapon. Union memberships are growing and people are sharing stories. There is talk and the end of an era has been marked in the sand. Recognising the change is how we accept and move on to the next era of games.