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Leaders Working at the Heart of the Team 2025

Grant Shonkwiler  (Commander & Shonk, Shonkventures)

Yash Kulkarni  (Director of Production & Narrative Designer, Mighty Yell Studios Inc.)

Lulu LaMer  (Production Director, Gravity Well)

Trent Kusters  (Co-founder & Studio Director, League of Geeks)

Gina Hope  (Senior Director, Engineering TeamFight Tactics, Riot Games)

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!

Track: Production & Team Leadership

Format: Lecture

Vault Recording: TBD

Audience Level: All

There is a critical facet of game development that needs exploring: the emotional and elusive feel of being a great leader. In order to maintain the health of a project the leader must have their finger firmly on the pulse of the team and be able to diagnose situations that often call for drastically different solutions. In this session we will investigate facets of soft skills and share specific situations that we have encountered throughout our careers and how soft skills have saved the team and shipped awesome games. Topics include: leadership without authority, leadership lessons from 10+ years of League of Geeks, Jugaad: the art of frugal innovation, and how leaders can foster resilience in themselves and their teams.

Takeaway

Attendees can gain an increased knowledge and understanding of how to use the soft skills a leader has, and how focusing on their team will make their games more successful. This is covered through practical examples and discussion.

Intended Audience

The target audience is leaders with 4+ years experience in the games industry. It will also be valuable for new leaders/producers/project managers and disciplinary leads.



Connecting the Global Game Development Community