How can you build relationships with people outside of your team in Game Development?

Try and focus on a few key networks for your discipline. Going wide from the start will easily overwhelm you, especially if you are getting different feedback from different communities. Discord and official forums are usually a good place to get deep into the weeds of things and specialising into your craft, with the added benefit that those networks are most likely also sharing info and updates on upcoming in-person or live events, and running their own competitions. Hint: these two networks are also frequented by a lot of industry professionals, who will always look out for new raw talent to potentially join a studio!

Yeah, joining online communities, helping developers and working on respository. It will help you grow your connections in game development industry. It really helped me alot.

Don't spread yourself too thin. Pick a few communities that really align with your game, discipline, or vibe and dive deep. This allows you to contribute meaningfully to conversations and start building real connections and relationships. That's where you want to focus. Building authentic connections - this isn't about marketing, it's not about selling your game or selling yourself. It's about building a solid network of other developers.

Look for related communities online, including on social media, such as board game design communities on Facebook and so on. Even if its not directly related to your field of game design, you can still learn different game design practices and expose yourself to new games to expand your game design skillset.

To build relationships beyond your game development team: Networking: Attend industry events and join online communities. Collaboration: Work on projects with professionals from other teams. Feedback: Exchange constructive feedback. Mentorship: Offer or seek mentorship opportunities. Communication: Keep communication open and frequent. These actions help you grow your network, gain industry insights, and enhance your career in game development.

I have made so many friends at Game Jams that I can't stress it enough how important is attending game jams. Game Jams are the best place to make real connections and also learn from them. Now there are so many game jams that happen across the year, how to pick which one to attend? So, to get the most out of a game jam I would recommend picking a jam which is happening physically, and which is not very competitive. The best one I can recommend is Global Game Jam.

Be the active party in the industry events, and introduce yourself to others in brief but intriguing way. Be genuinely interested, because you never know where people end up. The more industry events you attend, the more common it becomes that people end up discussing with familiar faces. Try to resist that temptation at least for a while, because the biggest reward is in making new connections. Enjoy and have fun! Games industry has some of the brightest minds and super entertaining personalities.

It is a common belief that attending game events is only interesting for doing business. While it is true for some managerial roles, the truth is that, out of the corporate environment, there are opportunities for other types of relationships. You can learn a lot from the talks, gauge the industry by dropping by the booths, meet face-to-face with customers. I recommend using the meet-to-match options that all these events have. Plan your goals in advance, and set up your agenda. Also, use side events, such as parties or informal gatherings, happening during the main event, to approach interesting people. Even you can use the meal times at the venue to mingle with people in the line.

Before anything else, be open and friendly. Don't worry about attending offline events; there are plenty of people just like you, searching for new connections in the industry. Don't be shy—ask experts to share their experiences. You'll find that many industry professionals are eager to share. A word of advice: have a way to exchange contacts and keep track of them. These events can be chaotic, and it's easy to lose track of people you connect with. Business cards can be your best friend here; just make sure to prepare some before the event.

during these events it's important to remember, you are there to tell stories, listen and make friends. It's easy to connect when the majority of attendees know what "hell's march" is.

One thing that will very much help is explain your thought process when creating or adding new pieces to your blog or portfolio. It is infinitely more useful to future employers to see how you think and how you evolved an idea than just seeing the final piece, as it helps us get a much better understanding of a candidate from the get-go and really home into your skills during the interview process.

Generally, the game dev community is welcoming and helpful, as long as you play by the rules (e.g., don't reskin a game without the rights to it). So, be open and amiable with the dev hive mind: document your journey with screenshots and videos, write blog posts. It's also worth noting that blogging or any other method of documenting your development activities serves as an excellent way to track your progress. Think of it as your personal, human-centric version control system. Moreover, sharing your dev journey is also a powerful tool for connecting with like-minded developers and promoting your game. By putting your process and progress out there, you're more likely to catch the eye of someone who shares your vision or interest.

Beyond traditional content platforms, I've discovered that LinkedIn serves as an exceptional space for sharing personal insights, tips, and experiences within the game development process. It's not just about showcasing your latest project or milestone; it's about the narrative that surrounds your work. Sharing the challenges you've overcome, the lessons learned, and even the moments of joy can resonate deeply with others in the industry. LinkedIn has evolved into a hub for not just networking, but also for exchanging valuable knowledge and stories that can inspire and guide our collective efforts in game development.

It’s so easy to be supportive and positive within the game dev community. Especially when you’re outside of the game dev environment and can just freely talk about stuff you and others are passionate about - like games! When you realize that most of us are in this specific industry because of an immense amount of love and passion for gaming, it becomes that much easier. It’s almost natural to just be yourself and let go of the rigidity of trying to be super “professional”. Of course, you’ll want to not get too comfortable at the risk of overstepping any boundaries. Just keeping the human element of socializing as the main focus does so much for you, the people you network with and the game dev community at large ???

None of us popped into the world ready to create, especially not complex things like games. Game development is tough, and each released game is nothing short of a miracle. It's also extremely taxing and stressful. So, the golden rule? Be decent, be kind. You'll find that kindness attracts people. Remember, it's a two-way street. Sharing really is caring. Even a small shout-out complimenting someone’s work can work wonders. Game dev passion can wane under the weight of challenges, but sometimes, a bit of encouragement arrives just in time to lift spirits and inspire perseverance.

Best way to keep good relationships is to provide some little help time to time which can be meaningful. For example support games of your peers with playtests and reviews

Besides the widespread accessibility of game development tools and the luxury of heated car seats, one of the 21st century's handiest tools has to be the bookmarking feature. Nearly every social platform offers a way to bookmark, and you should use it to the fullest. Hunt down a group of developers whose work intrigues you, follow them, watch their progress, and build up your own little repository of inspiration and learning material. And while you're at it, don't just lurk in the shadows—drop a comment now and then. Just remember, there's a fine line between being engaging and being overbearing.

There are wonderful tools such as "Donut" that connects with Slack. This has helped our employees get to know each other across different teams and stay in contact. Donut is an opt in program, and people are randomly chosen on a weekly basis to meet for virtual coffee. You can pause being selected at any time in case you get too busy or are traveling. It's worked very well for us and we've received positive feedback thus far!

GAME JAM! You can find amazing talent and very smart people looking for collaboration in those. Is a great opportunity to get in touch with other game development philosophies and at the same time is something very fun to do. Friendships can emerge from those experiences, networking and projects or even job opportunities. Can you think in a better way to make connections in the games industries than by developing fun games?

Explore opportunities beyond your immediate game team, especially in medium to large studios. These studios house diverse departments like HR, Legal, Finance, and Core Tools. - HR: Collaborate with your recruiter to enhance the recruiting and onboarding process for new hires. - Legal: Standardize SOWs by working closely with the legal team. Schedule quarterly calls for transparent milestone updates. - Finance: Use tools like MIRO to map out efficient invoice handling, benefiting the accounting department and financial operations. - Core Tools: Attend optional end-sprint meetings, provide feedback on development tools, and boost team morale with a simple 'Good job, guys.'

In the game development industry, it is important to understand that you can collaborate with anyone, anywhere in the world, at any point in time. You and your teammates are not able to resolve every issue. Some issues needs call for assistance. Let us examine the following scenario: We have excellent mobile software developers. Our team consists of highly skilled and proficient game creators. We are developing a educational game with global objectives. We need professionals for content development. Who can we ask for assistance from? If we have a good product, we can apply to anyone. We can be teammates with anyone we want. This is about the trust we have in our product and our team. If we are confident enough, everyone is our teammate.

The cold truth is there are two kinds of people: those who are good at work and those who are good at communicating. Some people fit both categories. Some… not. Try and get to the ones who are really good at their job and ignore talkers. Many great specialists aren't very active outside of their workspace, but you always have a chance. Maybe they have pet-projects where you can be a helping hand, maybe you share the same hobby. Just don't be annoying and tiresome.