adminA sustainable games industry depends not only on creative ideas and successful releases, but also on workplaces where people can do their best work without sacrificing their wellbeing. Sara Veal, chair of GamesAid and founder of consultancy Huhbub, focuses on people strategy, culture and community engagement. Her advice for studios is practical: listen to employees, address the sources of stress and make healthy working habits part of everyday operations.
Image credit: Games London
Sara Veal’s approach to a sustainable games industry
Veal is part of the 2026 Games London Ensemble cohort, an initiative now in its eighth year that showcases underrepresented games creatives in the UK. Curated by author and artistic director Sharna Jackson, this year’s group includes professionals working in areas such as development, narrative design and consultancy.
Alongside her work in the sector, Veal has mentored through the Limit Break mentorship programme, Into Games and Code Coven’s inaugural Aurora accelerator. Staying connected with people entering and navigating games helps her consider how studios and organisations can build systems that support people over the long term.
Game development can involve ambitious projects, demanding deadlines and high creative standards. These conditions can be motivating, but without thoughtful support they may also contribute to burnout. Veal cautions that relying on employees’ passion while overlooking their needs can put both people and a studio’s future at risk.
Start with what employees actually need
Wellbeing initiatives are more likely to help when they respond to real workplace problems. Before introducing a programme, studios should ask employees where they experience pressure and then act on what they hear. Possible causes include crunch, unclear leadership communication, financial worries or limited autonomy.
- Use surveys and conversations to identify specific sources of stress.
- Share what the team has said and explain what actions will follow.
- Check that support is accessible in practice, not merely available on paper.
A meditation subscription or virtual social event will not solve problems if employees are too overloaded to use them. Smaller studios with limited resources can still build a supportive culture through clear communication, reasonable expectations and consistent everyday practices.
Make leadership behaviour part of the policy
Employees often judge workplace expectations by what leaders do, rather than by what an employee handbook says. If managers routinely work excessive hours, praise crunch or dismiss conversations about mental health, formal wellbeing programmes are unlikely to feel credible.
Leaders can reinforce healthier norms by taking leave, finishing work at a reasonable time and speaking openly about stress. Teams can also make workload discussions a regular part of meetings and one-to-ones, recognise sustainable delivery, and create opportunities for genuine social connection. These habits should support people rather than become another performance requirement.
For studios looking for a practical starting point, review production schedules for planned rest and make free or affordable support easy to find. Good employment basics can have a greater effect than adding new benefits while leaving avoidable workplace pressures untouched.
Measure wellbeing without reducing it to a score
Studios can combine quantitative indicators with employees’ lived experiences to understand whether their efforts are helping. Measures may include sickness absence, use of employee assistance programmes, staff turnover and trends in engagement surveys.
Qualitative signs matter too. Managers can pay attention to whether employees raise concerns early, speak honestly about workload and have meaningful conversations outside performance reviews. An increase in people speaking up may initially feel uncomfortable to leadership, but it can indicate that employees feel safer advocating for themselves.
Numbers should inform decisions, not replace them. Tracking a wellbeing score without addressing the causes of poor working conditions risks making support look performative. The key question is whether people’s day-to-day experience is improving.
Communicate clearly during layoffs and uncertainty
During economic uncertainty, Veal recommends communicating early and honestly, including when leaders do not yet have every answer. Uncertainty about job security or the reasons behind decisions can be especially difficult for employees. Clear updates can help teams understand what is known and what remains undecided.
When redundancies take place, treating departing employees with dignity matters. Fair severance, outplacement support, honest references and a considerate goodbye can all contribute to a more respectful process. Veal also warns against cutting mental health support, open communication and clear processes as if they were optional extras: these are important structures for helping people through difficult periods.
GamesAid and lasting community support
Veal joined GamesAid as a trustee in 2022, later serving as vice chair before becoming chair. The charity supports children and young people through donations to selected charities. In 2023/24, GamesAid donated £150,000, bringing its total contributions to more than £6.23 million. It has supported 21 charities, many on a recurring basis.
Veal has highlighted the value that a donation can have for a smaller organisation. A £20,000 contribution can be significant for a charity with a turnover of less than £2.5 million, helping fund research, mobility aids or experiences for children. Sustaining charitable giving during layoffs, studio closures and economic pressure has required continued engagement across the industry.
As a small charity, GamesAid cannot match larger organisations’ marketing budgets or staffing. It relies on people in the games community to share its work and find ways to participate beyond donating. For Veal, protecting that generosity is part of building a more supportive sector.
Conclusion: Practical steps toward a sustainable games industry
Veal’s framework for a sustainable games industry begins with listening and continues through visible leadership, realistic workloads and honest communication. Studios can start by identifying the pressures their teams face, responding with accessible support and checking whether employees’ experiences change. During difficult periods, treating people fairly and maintaining clear communication can help rebuild trust. A healthier culture is not created by a single programme; it is reflected in the decisions and habits that shape work every day.
