GameMentorOnline

IGDA Women in Games, in partnership with Women in Games International, is launching GameMentorOnline, the first-of-its-kind online mentorship program for the international games industry.

Designed to serve students and young professionals, men and women alike, GameMentorOnline has been carefully co-developed by both organizations to meet the growing need for peer-to-peer mentorship support in games.

As our industry expands, contracts and evolves, there is a continually pressing need to shepherd and educate new talent, while tapping into the significant knowledge and resources of a growing community of advanced game professionals whose expertise could be lost if not passed on to new generations of game industry employees.

GameMentorOnline is a free service, open to mentors and mentees of all types and in all disciplines of games business and development. GameMentorOnline is powered by a turn-key mentorship matching solution that enables multiple options for mentees when selecting their mentor of choice. GameMentorOnline has been created with a purpose in mind, to carry the mentorship relationship through key milestones to an eventual outcome.

The biggest challenge for GameMentorOnline and any similar program is the ability to attract and maintain committed mentors. We are asking all experienced members of the game trade to consider dedicating themselves to a minimum of one mentee relationship per year. By meeting this goal, we all contribute to strengthening the games industry as a whole, and giving back to a community that needs our support.

PROGRAM LAUNCH

GameMentorOnline is ready to launch on February 20, 2009. Watch out for bulletins with more details on how to become a mentor or mentee in early February. We look forward to your participation!

SPONSORSHIP

At this time, we are seeking sponsorship for GameMentorOnline, both cash and in-kind. IGDA Women in Games and WIGI are offering blended marketing benefits to a limited number of year-round sponsors. Contact Fiona@themeparkstudios.com for more info.