Game Academy

About Game Academy

Game Academy helps gamers turn the skills they develop through play into confidence, opportunity and careers. Problem-solving, collaboration, strategic thinking, creativity and algorithmic thinking are all developed through video games and have significant personal and professional value. Yet many gamers underestimate these strengths or struggle to apply them beyond play. We are a career development and well-being service for gamers. Our programmes are standalone or part of larger initiatives, such as Youth Guarantee, Restart, SWAP, Skills Bootcamps, 16 to 19 Study Programmes and the Work and Health Programme. Many of the people we work with are not in employment or education, neurodiverse or care-experienced. We work with public sector, employability and third-sector partners across the UK to help gamers build more confident, successful futures. More than 8,000 gamers have used our services to date, with over 86,000 learning hours delivered through online courses, mentoring and community support. We work extensively with employers in the creative, tech, construction and cybersecurity industries and regularly get participants into new jobs, education or further training - 64% EET on recent Skills Bootcamps. We work across the UK, including communities in Gateshead, South Shields, East Durham, Rotherham, Sheffield, Barnsley, Nottingham, Worksop, Mansfield, Derby, Moss Side, Salford, Stoke-on-Trent, Croydon, Islington and Belfast.