New in the New Normal Many of those who joined the games industry around the first outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK are approaching their first anniversary in their new careers. Chris Wallace discusses what it’s like to begin a career in our new normal
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o say that the past year has been unprecedented and overwhelming is simultaneously a colossal understatement and a very tired cliché at this point. We all had a difficult 2020 – and not to be a pessimist, but 2021 is going to remain difficult for the foreseeable future. Still, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and those of us who can work at home have largely gotten used to doing so. Though I’m sure there’s plenty of us still waiting for the days of office banter, after work drinks and industry events to return. For the more experienced members of our industry, the past
year has, I’m sure, felt like an odd pause – without the usual major events that act as checkpoints throughout the year. But what of us newcomers? We’re almost at the one-year mark since the first UK lockdown, meaning there will be people across the industry celebrating their anniversary without ever having stepped foot in their office or a games event. It’s a topic close to my heart. I joined MCV/ DEVELOP, my first job in the games industry, in October 2019. So I was lucky enough to be able to attend a few UK events – stepping bleary-eyed around EGX at the end of my first week, heading
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