Play your way into production: game-based skills development for the film and TV industry

Brereton, Jude; Jones, Bethan; Reeve, Carlton; Zborowski, James; Bramwell-Dicks, Anna

Abstract

Screen industry employers report that they are unable to recruit graduates with the right skills for entry-level roles in film and television, citing a lack of business awareness and various “soft skills” as barriers to employment. Traditionally, such knowledge and skills are obtained through in-person work experience on set, but work experience is usually unpaid and therefore inaccessible to many. However, recent research in the use of applied/serious games has indicated that situational skills training can be facilitated through these approaches. This article offers an analysis of the design process behind a game-based learning intervention and offers preliminary results, drawing on questionnaire responses, interviews and an autoethnographic account. We argue that a serious game can function as a meaningful intervention, allowing potential new entrants to the screen industry to understand the tasks and duties of particular job roles and improve access to the development of skills and knowledge.

Citation

Brereton, J., Jones, B., Reeve, C., Zborowski, J., & Bramwell-Dicks, A. (in press). Play your way into production: game-based skills development for the film and TV industry. Popular Communication, https://doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2025.2486773

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 24, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Apr 10, 2025
• Deposit Date: Apr 11, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 14, 2025
• Journal: Popular Communication
• Print ISSN: 1540-5702
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2025.2486773
• Keywords: Serious games; Educational games; Skills gaps; Screen industries
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5128420