Speaker FAQs

What is this conference?

1

The Game Workers Conference is an entirely new game industry event made by and for the countless workers who make this massively influential industry and artistic medium succeed. 


The first iteration of the conference is being hosted by a partnership of various game industry unions and worker-centered organizations and will be held online Friday May 22, 2026 and Saturday May 23, 2026. Exact conference hours are TBD, but programming will be no more than 6 hours in one day. This includes one hour-long and multiple 10-minute breaks.

What can I expect?

2

Conference sessions will be available to anyone at no cost, and will feature a wide range of speakers covering an even wider range of subjects relevant to the needs and interests of game workers.

Subjects will include concrete game industry skills, project post-mortems, career advice, games academia, union organizing, community building, advocacy, and so much more.

Conference sessions will focus on the designers, artists, animators, engineers, producers, and other workers who have built this industry. The interests of industry leaders and executives will have no impact on the conference's programming.

What are the technical details?

3

All conference content will be fully accessible online to watch across both days, but there will be optional in-person watch party meet-ups on Saturday in a range of cities. Conference sessions will be publicly available online after the conference.

Sessions will be pre-recorded throughout March and April. We also will be providing speaker honorariums, amount based on need and session type.

Conference “attendees” will have the chance to ask questions of speakers and engage with each other over a conference discord, and more.

As a speaker, what does involvement look like?

4

We are asking that you record and submit to us a talk of your choosing, using presentation slides and/or video demonstration. We are also asking that you submit a transcription of your talk so that we can create SRT subtitles and translations for our viewers.

Presentations will be formatted in the following way, you can pick the one that works for you:

  • 15 minute talks - 1 speaker

  • 30 minute talks - 1-2 speakers

55 minute talks (⚠️NOTE: these are limited) - 3-5 speakers

How much will I be paid for speaking?

5

Speakers will be compensated in the following manner:

  • For 15 minute solo talks - $250

  • For 30 minute talks - $500 will be split between 1-2 speakers

  • For 55 minute talks - $1000 will be split between 3-5 speakers

If you so choose, you may waive your honorarium and donate it to a union or organization of your choice.

If I accept, how long is the turnaround?

6

We will need both the pre-recorded video presentation and the transcription of your talk by May 1st. Don’t worry, we’ll remind you :)


In the next couple of weeks, we’d like to know which session type you’re interested in doing, how many speakers will be involved in your presentation, and generally what are your ideas for the presentation. You can help us out by filling out this form.