Indie Networking – Don’t be a Shy Penguin!
Business Focus
As an indie studio, networking is an essential skill, it will introduce you to new people and open doors that you never thought were there. However, a lot of game devs (including myself) working for small indie studios suffer from the famed imposter syndrome. Going to networking conventions can feel daunting. Feeling like you don’t belong or that you don’t deserve to be amongst the company in the room is normal, everyone feels this at some point!
But you do belong!
These events are built and run specifically to help you meet the right people. You are in the room for a reason. If you are working on a game or looking for people to work with then you are in the right place, have confidence in yourself. From seeking a collaborator on a personal project to asking publishers and investors for over million pounds everyone will benefit from going to conventions.
If you are not sure who to meet and talk to, find someone not in a conversation, go up to them and ask who they are… Everyone loves to talk about themselves and they will definitely ask about you in return. The first few times you do this you will stumble through, stutter and feel like you made a fool of yourself, but as you practice you will get better and bolder!
If you think the person you are trying to reach out to and introduce yourself to is too big or too experienced for you, they’re probably the best person you should talk to. As an example, I was lucky enough to talk to a director at EPIC games at an event for 10 mins and that single conversation has changed my entire game release perspective of indie games (a topic for another blog post perhaps). But without this conversation A Recipe for Survival would still be stuck on a different release path.
Having been in the industry for less than six months, I can confidently say you have found an amazing group of people. Everyone at these events is super kind, generous and open, they will point you in the right direction no matter what you are looking for. If you are looking for support with something, ASK! Someone will answer!
Recommended 2025 UK based events to go to (Talk to industry experts and browse LinkedIn for more)
- London Games Festival: 2nd-13th April 2025 https://games.london/events/month/2025-04/
Free to attend (Some events cost check pricing)
London
- Tiga’s Startup, Scale and Grow: 30th April 2025
https://tiga.org/tiga-start-up-scale-up-and-grow-conference
£70.80 (Inc VAT) Early Bird
London - Develop Brighton: 8th-10th July 2025
https://www.developconference.com/whats-on
Free to attend
Brighton - Glasgow Indie Games Fest: 9th August 2025 https://glasgowindiegamesfest.org/
Price TBC
Glasgow - Barclay’s Game Frenzy https://games.creative.barclays/games-frenzy-24/ Free to attend
London - Games Forum London: 16th-17th September
https://www.globalgamesforum.com/london
Price TBC
London
A Recipe for Survival 
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