WE’RE BACK FOR YEAR 7!
Limit Break is the leading mentorship program for people from underrepresented and marginalised groups seeking to progress their careers within the UK video games industry.
Our goal is to facilitate connections and provide a structure to connect participants with mentors who are established professionals within their fields, supporting them in growing and advancing their skills and careers.
The program will launch for its seventh year in 2025, and has grown rapidly – from 100 initial members, to over 1600 participants in 2024.
Founded in 2019 by Anisa Sanusi, Limit Break is a non-profit volunteer-run organisation, and its work is made possible thanks to the support & sponsorship of a number of UK organisations and companies. The ongoing running of the program is managed by the Limit Break Committee - a passionate and dedicated team of professionals from across the games industry who volunteer their time to run Limit Break.
The Limit Break program runs annually, and offers a unique opportunity for participants to forge connections, exchange knowledge, and support their professional growth. Through a structured six-month mentorship, mentees from diverse backgrounds and disciplines are matched with experienced mentors drawn from all corners of the industry. Mentorship applications are open to anyone open to anyone based in the UK and Ireland currently working in the games industry or seeking to enter it, and who that identifies as part of a marginalised or underrepresented gender, orientation or ethnicity group, as well as neurodiverse people and those with disabilities.
WHY THIS SPECIFIC AUDIENCE?
The UK Games Industry Census 2022 conducted by UKIE showed that 67% of people working in the games industry are male, compared to 30% female and 3% non-binary workers. Female representation in the workforce is significantly under the national average of those in work, as well as less than in cultural and creative roles more generally. Trans people make up 4% of the games industry workforce.
The games sector is a young industry, with two-thirds of people working in the sector aged 35 or under. But only 54% of people in the industry have worked in the sector for five years or more.
11% of people working in games are Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME). While BAME workers can be found broadly equally in all job roles, with a small skew towards more non-sector specific roles, they are noticeably less represented in senior positions. Migration is a key factor of both ethnic and gender diversity; 29% of the overall games workforce in general hold non-UK nationalities.
People in leadership or senior roles are mostly cis-het white men, as most underrepresented people tend to burn out and leave the industry before they are given the chance.
This is why Limit Break was founded, our goal is to facilitate connections and provide structure for the ever-young workforce to those with experience. We want our participants to grow and have the chance to advance their careers, and keep the games industry rich with diverse talent and passion.