Let’s Talk Games – The UK’s Student Games Conference

February 11th 2026

In Partnership With

Welcome to
Let's Talk Games

A Free Games Conference by Let’s Talk Games CIC

Let’s Talk Games is a free event created to inspire, inform, and include anyone interested in a career in games. It helps students and young creatives learn directly from professionals shaping the UK games industry.

Hear from artists, designers, and developers covering the entire games pipeline; from concept art, 3D modelling, lighting, game design, production, and professional skills.

We’re also thrilled to announce that we’ve partnered with Game Republic for the 2026 edition!

Game Republic is the UK’s largest games industry network outside London; renowned for building bridges between studios, developers, and educators, and supporting talent across the North of England.

Bringing their expertise and network to Let’s Talk Games means even richer insights, better industry connections, and more exciting opportunities for you, the audience.

Join us at The Spa Centre, Royal Leamington Spa, on February 11th 2026 for a day of creativity, connection, and insight into what it takes to build a career in games.

Let’s Talk Games isn’t just a conference, it’s a celebration of creativity, community, and the people behind the games we love.

Inspire. Inform. Include.

See you there!

Mike Acosta

Founder – Let’s Talk Games

2026 Speaker Lineup:

Oliver William-Walker

I'm Oliver - a designer with electric energy, creative flair, and undying passion. Crafting unique experiences with elegant design is my life's work. I’m energised by hands-on development, in-depth feedback sessions, and solving complex problems collaboratively. ✨

Corporate Animal - How to make games when you’re a little bit different.

10AM

Jake Cooper

I personally class myself as a Realtime generalist, with a real passion for hard surface and vehicles. This tends to be anything mechanical. However, as my portfolio demonstrates, I am not limited to just vehicles or more specifically, Trains or Roller Coasters, weapons and props, environment art, world building/ set dressing, lighting and composition, editing and post-production, have all molded me into the artist I am today.

10:30AM

Steve Stopps

Destiny: Take control of your future.

A creative industry veteran with over 20 years project management and business development experience, I have collaborated with some truly exceptional people. I now spend my time sharing what I have learned; helping developers make better games and grow a more sustainable business.

11AM

Eoin Loughrey

How do you actually break into game animation?

Using my 19 years experience in the industry, this talk breaks down what studios are really looking for from animation applicants. Whether you’re a student or a recent graduate, you’ll leave with clear, actionable advice to help you focus your practice, strengthen your reel, and improve your chances of landing that first role.

11:30AM

Nikita Heyland

I work with The Rookies, and I’ll be walking through how to get involved with the platform and make the most of it as a student. We’ll talk about the monthly competitions, the global annual competition, and how you can use The Rookies to share your work, build visibility, and connect with the wider creative industry.

Getting the most out of The Rookies

12PM

Liam Lawler

Experienced and passionate fundraiser with 25 years experience, working with great partners to enable SpecialEffect to keep helping people with physical challenges to have a better quality of life.

12:30PM

LUNCH BREAK - VISIT THE EXHIBITOR AREA
12:45PM - 1:50PM

Portfolio Feedback Sessions:

12:45 - 1:45PM

We have limited portfolio review slots available, therefore all slots will go live on February 4th at 1PM.

Ivan Batsalov

Oliver William
Walker

Joel Ferris

Mark Brassington

Peter Barnard

Kyung Bo Lee

BOOKING WINDOW OPENS SOON!

Round Table Sessions:

12:40 - 1:45PM

What are the round tables?

Round tables are small, informal discussions where you can ask questions, share experiences, and get honest insight from industry professionals. There is no presentation and no pressure to speak. You can just listen, or jump in when you are ready.

TABLE 1

How to grow your network online and at events

Dr Jackie Mulligan is co-Director of Game Republic and knows about networking. She supports the largest and longest established games industry network in the North of England. Prior to working at Game Republic, Jackie ran her own tech platform supporting networks of small independent businesses and local communities. She appeared talking all things community and small business at live events and on BBC The One Show, BBC Morning Live, ITV The Tonight Show, BBC Radio 5, BBC Radio 4 and national print media. As an academic, Jackie undertook extensive research on events, creativity and innovation internationally and spoke at conferences in the UK, Europe and the US. She has also worked in the Caribbean in tourism and heritage and for the national lottery on funded projects across the UK.

Dr Jackie Mulligan

Sarah May-White

TABLE 2

Producer roles and alternative routes into games

I’m a producer at Excalibur Games, and I’ll be talking about what a producer actually does day to day and how we help teams make games happen. We’ll also chat about different ways into the games industry beyond traditional development roles, and how skills from other backgrounds can still lead to a career in games.

TABLE 3

Getting the Most Out of The Rookies

I work closely with The Rookies, and in this talk I’ll break down how students can get properly involved with the platform and use it to their advantage while studying and beyond. I’ll cover how The Rookies works, what studios actually look for when viewing student work, and how to avoid some common mistakes.

The session will finish with practical advice on using The Rookies to track your progress, benchmark your work against international talent, and start making meaningful connections within the wider creative and games industry.

Nikita Heyland

Natalie Griffith

TABLE 4

Understanding your career path in games

I’m a games & tech career coach with 35 years in the industry – join me for an informal round table session where I’ll help you navigate your path into the industry.
Drop by to get your CV reviewed, explore whether you're better suited to indie studios or AAA companies, and understand how to align your career goals with your strengths and values. Learn how to identify workplace cultures where you'll thrive, and understand how to position yourself effectively for job applications.

TABLE 5

What Kind of Game Designer Do You Want to Be?

There isn’t just one kind of designer. This informal round-table is a chance to talk about the many shapes game design takes — from small, fast-moving mobile teams to large, long-running live ops and AAA projects — and to ask honest questions about roles, careers, and expectations.

Chihiro Yamada

Beck Hemsley

We often think of art as the output of a sole creator - and at college the vast majority of work is undertaken (and graded) alone. But moving into the industry, you need to be prepared to treat games art as a collaborative, rather than solo, activity.

Beck is a recent graduate from Warwickshire College, currently working as a games artist for Well Played Games. With a background in the arts and heritage sector and a passion for visual narrative, Beck brings a unique blend of creativity and technical skill to his work, from stylised characters, to photography and photo editing, to lush realistic hand-painted illustrations.

He will be discussing ways to shift your mindset towards making art as part of a collective endeavour, focussing on a shared sense of ownership and positive feedback processes.

It Takes A Village To Make Some Art

1:50PM

James Batchelor

How to get noticed by press and publishers

James Batchelor is communications manager at Digital Bandidos, a new indie publisher whose team carries a secret behind their masks: decades of experience, hundreds of games published, and a lifelong passion for everything indie.

He previously spent 18 years as a B2B journalist in the games industry, writing for publications such as MCV and Develop before rising to become editor-in-chief of GamesIndustry.biz.

In his talk, he will draw on his experience to help you better understand how to improve the chances of gaining the attention of both the media and publishing for your game. The games market has never been more crowded, but talented new developers deserve to find their audience – and both press and publishers are poised to help them. You've just got to stop them from deleting your email…

2:20PM

Recruitment Panel

2:40PM

Sam Baker

Unskippable - A Talk On Visualizing Game Cinematics

Please don't press Y.

In this talk I will give a general overview of my career in games and how I got here, the process of making game cinematics, and what the heck a previz is.

3:20PM

Emily Owen & Dan Vargas

Breaking Through : Getting Your First Concept Art Role

3:50PM

In this presentation, Emily will share her journey from school through to becoming a Concept Artist at Ubisoft Reflections. She’ll walk through examples of her early work and student projects, discussing how her skills developed over time, what she focused on improving, and the lessons learned along the way.

Dan will then give insight from the studio side, breaking down what worked particularly well in Emily’s art test, why it stood out, and what the team looks for when reviewing junior and graduate-level concept art submissions.

The session will also include a look at a sample of the type of work currently being produced under the Rainbow Six mandate, helping to contextualise how student and test work translates into real-world production at a AAA studio.

We’ll finish with a set of clear takeaways and practical advice for students, covering portfolio focus, expectations at junior level, and how to better prepare for art tests and studio applications.

Nareice Jade Wint

Designing the zodiac puzzles in Ascend

This talk explores how abstract ideas, like zodiac signs, can be transformed into engaging gameplay. We’ll walk through the full development process, starting with early concepts and paper prototypes, and moving through iteration, playtesting and refinement.

You’ll see how each zodiac sign was broken down into clear themes and mechanics, how those ideas were implemented in-engine, and how constant iteration helped shape both the puzzles and the overall player experience. The session will also touch on the challenges of balancing creativity with clarity, and how design decisions were driven by player feedback.

By the end of the talk, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how designers turn loose concepts into playable systems, and how prototyping and iteration are essential to creating puzzles that feel intuitive, rewarding and fun.

4:20PM

Meet the sponsors..

Where you can get hands-on with industry tech, chat directly with studios, and learn more about the many routes into the games industry. Visit the Upper Bar Balcony.

The University of Staffordshire will be present to talk about your future as a games developer. Whether your interest lies in art, design, or programming, they offer industry-recognised courses backed by major accolades, including No.1 for Games in the UK (The Rookies and TIGA), helping students build the skills and visibility needed to land their dream job.

Playground Games will be bringing their race simulator, giving attendees the chance to jump in and have a go. The team will be on hand throughout the day to answer questions about working in AAA development and what they look for in emerging talent.

Wacom will be showcasing some of their latest creative hardware, with a dedicated table where attendees can explore the tech and talk directly with the team about how their tools are used across games, art, and design workflows.

Sumo Digital will also be available to speak with students and staff, offering insight into studio life, career paths, and the skills they value across different disciplines.

Thinking Brick Studio, who will be showcasing their first game Plushy Pushy. This is a great opportunity to chat with a small, independent studio about shipping a first title and breaking into the industry from an indie perspective.

Our Previous Speakers...

Alice Zaharia

Peter Field