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What the latest workforce survey says—and what it cannot
The International Game Developers Association’s (IGDA) 2023 Developer Satisfaction Survey, published in 2024, offers a snapshot of respondents’ experiences during a period of contraction. It collected responses from May 17 to October 20, 2023, and had 777 valid responses. Participants included people in game-making roles as well as students, academics, freelancers, self-employed developers and people in ancillary studio roles. The survey was self-selected, not a census: 47% of respondents worked in the United States and 11% in Canada, and IGDA cautioned that North America was likely overrepresented.
Within that sample, 67% said there was not equal treatment and opportunity for everyone in the industry. Respondents also reported a range of identities: 31% identified as women, 28% as people of colour, 27% as gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual or queer, and 44% as having a physical or mental difference. These categories overlap and should not be added together. They describe survey respondents, not the demographic makeup of the entire game workforce.
The survey infographic reported that 10,500 game makers had lost jobs through layoffs in 2023. It also said 4.8% of respondents were currently unemployed; that is a respondent result, not an industry-wide unemployment rate. In the survey, 28% said their job involved crunch time and 25% reported long or extended hours that were not classified as crunch.
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IGDA connected financial contraction with layoffs, difficulty finding salaried full-time work, low income and greater pressure on people who remain in studios. Its report describes the broader risk: “There will be ripple effects of this economic contraction across the industry as established developers seek new jobs, aspiring entrants cannot find opportunities and those remaining in studios respond to calls to do more with less.” That makes the reset a question of both access to openings and the quality and sustainability of work.
Where a more inclusive reset can begin
The survey points to a difference between having a policy and making it work in practice. IGDA reported that non-discrimination, sexual-harassment and equal-opportunity hiring policies were more common than formal complaint and disciplinary processes for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues. Very few respondents reported systems for tracking retention of underrepresented groups or encouraging diverse applicant pools.
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Those gaps suggest practical areas for employers to examine. They are recommendations drawn from the issues documented in the survey, not interventions the survey proved will change representation.
- Make hiring criteria visible. Define role requirements and evaluation criteria before reviewing applications. Clear criteria can make it easier for candidates without personal referrals to understand what a job requires and for hiring teams to apply consistent standards.
- Use structured reviews. Ask candidates for evidence relevant to the work and assess it against shared criteria. Where practical, use consistent interview questions and a documented review process rather than relying on informal impressions.
- Make reporting and discipline usable. A policy is not a substitute for a clear, accessible way to raise concerns, a fair process for reviewing them and consistent follow-through. Employees should know where to report an issue and what happens next.
- Measure retention as well as recruitment. Track who applies and advances, and whether people from underrepresented groups stay and progress. Protect privacy, explain how data will be used and avoid drawing conclusions from small groups that could identify individuals.
- Assign accountability. Leaders need responsibility for reviewing results and acting on problems. Without ownership, written commitments can remain disconnected from everyday hiring and workplace decisions.
The point is not to treat demographic targets as a shortcut or to ask employees to solve institutional problems themselves. It is to make access, workplace standards and outcomes visible enough to assess—and to give people credible ways to seek help when those standards are not met.
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Career support can widen access, but it is not a hiring guarantee
Career programs can offer practical support outside a studio’s recruitment process: portfolio feedback, connections with peers and opportunities to meet employers. The IGDA Foundation’s 2025 impact page describes several examples:
- BIPOC Virtual Career Fair: The Foundation reported more than 150 participants.
- GDC Resume & Portfolio Review: The Foundation said the program supported 250+ careers.
- Virtual Exchange: The Foundation describes this as a global initiative connecting diverse game developers. It also reported that its 2025 GDC cohort included 11 grantees, all alumni of prior Virtual Exchange programs and all from underrepresented communities; 80% were from outside the United States.
The Foundation’s 2024 impact page offers earlier cohort figures: Virtual Exchange participants represented 36 countries; the share of participants from developing countries rose from 6% in 2023 to 23% in 2024. The Foundation reported that 68% identified as BIPOC, 33% as LGBTQIA+ and 23% as neurodivergent. Its 2024 GDC cohort had 11 participants, 82% from underrepresented backgrounds.
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These numbers describe program participants and activities, not industry-wide employment outcomes. They do not establish that any one program caused broader workforce change or that participation leads to a job. Developers considering a program should check its current dates, eligibility and format directly with the organization.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What workers and employers can take from the reset
For people entering or changing careers, a tight job market can make access to feedback and professional connections especially valuable. Resume and portfolio reviews may help applicants present their work clearly, while career fairs and developer networks can provide routes beyond existing personal contacts. None removes the need to evaluate an opportunity carefully, including compensation, role expectations and working conditions.
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For employers, the more consequential test is whether a rebuild changes the systems behind opportunity. A diverse applicant pool matters, but so do consistent selection, fair complaint handling, sustainable workloads and evidence about who stays. IGDA’s report argues that “We must implement policies and practices across the industry to support this talent.” The survey documents perceived inequality and gaps in formal processes; it does not identify a proven single fix. The opportunity lies in treating inclusion as an operational responsibility rather than a statement made during hiring.
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