Who qualifies for a mentorship?

Mentorships are open to all members of traditionally underrepresented groups (BIPOC, women, disabled, LGBTQ+, etc.) pursuing or working in a full-time career in game development. These types of mentorships are mainly geared towards those who have not yet gotten a full-time job in the industry, are early on their careers, or are changing careers, but who have at least some experience creating work in their discipline.

If you do not meet the requirements, consider checking out our other resources! We have tons of stuff that’s available to everyone, as well as links to other mentorship and educational programs!

Are there any regional, timezone, or language restrictions?

There are no location or timezone restrictions as long as you can communicate regularly and reliably with your mentor. We highly recommend trying to find a time where you can both be online at the same time, but this isn’t strictly necessary.

Exactly how you communicate is up to you - voice or video calls are often the best for conveying the most information the fastest, and allow the added benefits of being able to screenshare and offer critiques and help in real-time. However, mentees have also been very successful using exclusively text conversations, and these can be a great option for those who aren’t particularly comfortable with real-time conversations, spoken English, or who like having a written record of full conversations (it’s like free searchable notes!).

Unfortunately at this time all of our mentors only speak English, so you’ll need to be comfortable enough with English or translation software to be able to discuss your discipline in-depth with them.

How much time should I expect to dedicate to this mentorship?

For typical skill-building-focused mentorship, we’ve seen mentees get the most out of their mentorship when they’re able to dedicate at least 12-20 hours a week to building their skills.

If you’re worried you won’t have that much time, let’s talk about it! Mentors can offer guidance on projects that might require less time to complete, may offer the option to meeting less frequently, or other options. If not, we’re working to create more programs that don’t require a long-term commitment, so keep an eye out for those!:)

I don’t think I’m ready for a mentorship right now, or don’t qualify for one - is there anything for me?

Lots, hopefully! We’ve got whole piles of resources that’re available to anyone, including our own articles on building a great portfolio, putting together a resume and online presence, and leveling up your interview skills, as well as links to a bunch of other mentorship and educational programs and game dev communities.

Also, if you are from an underrepped group and pursuing a full-time game dev career, but don’t feel you have the time or skill level recommended for a mentorship right now, consider signing up for a 1:1 call - these can be used for one-off portfolio reviews, skill assessments, career guidance, or anything else you want to discuss!

What do mentorships cost?

Our mentorships are free, period. There are already enough privileges associated with being able to enroll in these mentorships - having the hardware and software, free time, and health to do so - we don’t need to add additional financial burdens to that list.

What prior skills / knowledge do I need?

You’ll need a clear idea of what you want to pursue and a few examples of work you’ve created towards that discipline (for example, if you’re pursuing VFX, you should already be fairly familiar with creating VFX in a game engine and have some examples). In more competitive fields or those with fewer easily-transferable skills, such as . In disciplines that either have a lot of sub-fields or considerable skill overlap, such as the “engineering” or “design” umbrella, knowing that you want to go into engineering or technical art, or into game design, can be enough of a basis - your mentor

What hardware / software do I need?

Broadly speaking, if you qualify for these mentorships you probably already have what you need - a computer that can support the tools of your trade, and the tools to create work in that disc. Generally, a gaming PC capable of running Unreal or Unity engine will be adequate for any mentorship. Specific software or hardware suggestions will be included in discipline-specific mentorship one-sheets and we strive to include free and budget-friendly options whenever possible.

In addition, we highly recommend installing Discord, as we’ve found it to be the best place yet for hosting mentorships and it’s where the mentee community server is hosted. It’s not required, but we do highly recommend it if you’re able! Access to a microphone and/or webcam if you want the option of voice or video calls is also useful.

What if I need additional accommodations?

Aspiring devs with mental or physical disabilities are one of groups we’re committed to helping, and we’re eager to do our best to accommodate anything that will allow you to participate!

Remote participation (all of our mentorships are held online), and the option of voice, video, or text (synchronous or asynchronous) communication are default parts of the program - you do not need to submit requests for these.

However, if you require an accommodation not listed here in order to participate in a mentorship, there is a section on the mentee applications where you may request them!