How to publish your academic writing on MediumReach a wider, non-academic audience on Medium by adapting your thesis, dissertation, or research paperPublished inThe Medium Blog10 min readJust now--Image created by Jason CombsMedium is a great home for academic writers. Its easy to write and publish your work quickly; theres an engaged audience of thoughtful, curious readers; and our features are geared towards helping you find your community.While theres nothing stopping you from copy-paste-publishing your doctorate thesis on Medium, weve found that the best-received academic work on Medium has a few elements in common. This guide will walk you through a few points to keep in mind as you adapt your writing to find a new audience on Medium.Why publish your academic work on Medium?A lot of academic writing never gets published. What does get published often doesnt get a big readership, especially not beyond its niche audience. If it does happen to make headlines, its often misunderstood. This is frustrating when all you want to do is share your research with readers who are most likely to be interested in it.Another way to get your writing to the public is to publish it yourself and many scholars do just that, sharing their work on social media platforms like X and Threads, or hosting their own blogs. The problem with those methods is that it can be tough to build an audience that will read that work. Plus, research doesnt always lend itself well to a character-limited format.Thats what makes Medium such a great platform to publish your academic work. We already have 100 million monthly readers who love thoughtful, nuanced discussions. We have niche, specific publications that have built a community about topics as specialized as the convergence of politics, policy, and ideas to paleontology. And our editor is incredibly simple to use just type and hit publish.I loved how former academic and current science communicator Silvia PM, PhD put it in her post about how shed use Medium as a tool to connect with people beyond the academic bubble. If I had a lab again, Id see Medium as more than just another social media platform, Id see it as a bridge. A bridge between science and society, between data and decision-making, and between curiosity and understanding. A bridge to support a successful career for myself and my students.Heres what to keep in mind as you adapt your work to fit well on Medium.Pick a single pointNo matter if youre thinking about publishing your dissertation or your lab presentation slides on Medium, its worth deciding on a single point you want to drive home and focusing on that. If youre thinking of your thesis, pick a single chapter. If youre adapting a paper, clearly define its main argument.For example, I wrote my Masters dissertation on trends in bird species extinction and extirpation during the Anthropocene a pretty wide subject matter! If I wanted to repurpose that research and writing for Medium, Id start not just with a single chapter, but a single finding within a chapter. In my case, I found a strong correlation between bird body mass and the likelihood of the species not just surviving but expanding into new countries, and could write about that. Another possible example is taking the abstract of your research paper, or an excerpt that summarizes the findings simply.Read over the work youre thinking of repurposing and mine it for ideas. Jot down as many as you feel are compelling, but then pick just one to focus on for publishing on Medium.Remember the audienceYoure already used to changing how you present your ideas depending on who youre presenting to. If youre a postdoc writing a grant proposal to get funding for your idea, youll handle that differently from writing up that research into a paper youre submitting to Nature Cell Biology, for instance, or presenting it to your labmates.Adapting your work to Medium is no different. Were home to curious, intelligent readers who like getting deep dives rather than hot takes. But those readers arent going to share your background knowledge in your subject matter.As an experiment, pretend youre sharing this with a sibling or a parent someone who cares a lot about what you do and may already be familiar with the main notes, but who wont capture the nuance without you explaining it. Read it aloud and see how it sounds.Its also good to consider the visual look of your Medium story. While academic work tends to be on the denser side, both in terms of the style and the paragraph length, we find readers on Medium like some white space to have a chance to digest new ideas as they read.Revisit your titleWere not about clickbait, and neither are our readers, so dont worry you wont need to publish your work on Medium with a title like Scientists Just Unveiled a Radical Approach to Tracking Dengue Mosquitoes HATE Them!But, A new lineage nomenclature to aid genomic surveillance of dengue virus, might not mean much to your readers, either.Try to aim for a middle ground: a title that explains your research in a way thats clear to lay readers, and gives them a reason to read your work. Its also good practice to tie this back to the why you worked on earlier.In the paper I linked above, it might be relevant to highlight how to help scientists track dengue and prevent another global epidemic like COVID-19, or discuss how vaccines are developed for other diseases.Looking for inspiration? I loved Andrea Corpolongo, Ph.D.s article on how to write better titles for space articles.Make it relevantTo you, of course your research is the most relevant and interesting thing! However, our readers will benefit from a bit of framing around why theyre going to be interested in it. You can do this in one of two ways:Position your research in terms of current events. If youve had a strong reaction to an article in the news, for example, based on your research, thats a great direction to go in.Show how your research applies to a more evergreen topic. For example, Dr. Pine uses her expertise to explain how teeth fossils help us understand why human childhood lasts so long.Include this positioning in the introduction to ensure readers immediately grasp why they should be interested in your work.Include your authorityMedium readers want to know why they should trust the writer. Sharing your academic expertise years you spent in your lab, any professional experience, your titles can help them know why youre an authority they can rely on.Its great to put this in your profile name and bio so readers can see it at a glance when theyre deciding whether to read your article. You can also weave it into your work. This can be explicit As a researcher in this subject for five years, for example but it doesnt have to be. As long as your expertise is clear by your familiarity with your subject matter, youll build trust with your readers.For example, Harlan Brothers starts his Medium story by writing, Back in 2013, I had been thinking about prime numbers and novel ways of searching for hidden patterns in their progression. This story is adapted from his much more technical paper in World Scientific, Using IFS to Reveal Biases in the Distribution of Prime Numbers.Include (and explain!) any visualsFeel free to reuse any slides, graphs, or other images from your academic work in your Medium story. Just make sure to explain it clearly and add alt text to make sure visually impaired readers can still benefit from your visuals.On Medium, most writers also choose to add a feature image to make their work more eye-catching and help give readers an idea of what their story is about at a glance. These show up on the homepage, app, email digests, and other story feeds. Feel free to grab a royalty-free photo from a site like Unsplash, or use an original image that relates directly to your research.As an example, check out these simple-but-illustrative images Associate Professor F. Perry Wilson, MD MSCE used to explain why he thinks polygenic risk scores might be unreliable predictors.Adapt your citation formatCiting your sources is a non-negotiable, rich academic tradition. However, on Medium, readers arent as used to having the text interrupted by citation parentheticals. To provide a smoother reader experience, you could opt for hyperlinks, or go for a numerical citation method like this [1] and include your references at the bottom of your story.Use publications and tagsMedium has a few tools to help make sure your story finds the readers who are most likely to be interested in it: publications and tags.First, lets talk about publications. Publications are a great Medium tool to help your story reach its intended audience. Any Medium member can create a publication about any topic they like and many academics on Medium already have, which you can check out on this list. You can also search through all Medium publications by keyword using the Chill Subs directory. Readers on Medium follow publications to get curated stories about those specific subjects.If you dont find a publication that looks like a good fit and think you might publish more than one piece on Medium, you can always create your own publication.Publications, since theyre run by everyday Medium users, can have unique submission guidelines that vary from pub to pub. When you find a publication youre interested in, check their submission guidelines to find the best way to be added as a writer. Once youve been added, you can submit your story to the pub using the top three dots and submit to publication. Heres a help document with more information.When youre ready to submit or publish your story, youll have the chance to add five tags that describe what your story is about. That helps inform our recommendation system to guide your story to readers who are most likely to be interested in it. Go broad rather than narrow. For example, if youre writing about paleontology, use science as a tag. You can check out our list of topics for inspiration.Get feedback from your peersWhile Medium doesnt offer a real peer review, we do have two other sources for getting community input: private notes and comments.If you want to get feedback on your story before going live, you can share a draft link with a friend. Theyll be able to leave private notes that only you and they can see with any thoughts, suggestions, and questions.Once your story is published, you might get comments from readers. You can always edit your story after publishing to address anything your commenters brought up, or you can reply in a comment thread with them.As a reader, I loved seeing Owen Schaefers comments on Harlan Brotherss Medium storyOf course, youre in full control of your comment section. If you want to turn comments off entirely, thats up to you. You can also hide individual comments if theyre not adding anything to the conversation.Share with othersMany academics use Medium as a quick place to publish and then share with their own students, classmates, or peers. You can always post your work on our open platform and share a link to X, via email, or any other social media platform you want.Screenshot taken by authorDecide whether to paywallWhen you publish on Medium, youll choose whether or not to paywall your story. Our paywall exists because we dont have ads. Instead, were supported by paying members. When a paying Medium member reads a story, a portion of their membership goes to the writer.If you want your writing to be freely accessible by everyone, dont paywall it. If youd like to earn some money for your writing, you can paywall it as long as youre a Medium member.You dont have to choose between the two. If you want to paywall your story but still share it with other friends or family who dont have Medium membership, you can share your story with a friend link. Anyone with a friend link can bypass the paywall.Have funLast but not least, have fun. Medium readers respond to your genuine passion and interest in your subject. They may not be experts, but they love hearing from people who are.The academic pieces that do best on Medium are those where your personality comes through and youre enthused about your research that enthusiasm is contagious to our readers.Use casesHere are some of the kinds of academic writing that can be adapted and repurposed on Medium:Chapters or specific ideas from dissertations and thesesPublished workAn excerpt from your bookPapers that didnt end up publishedPapers that were publishedSocial media threadsLab presentationsConference presentationsAn idea you might want to flesh out before you commit to writing a whole paper on itA response to work someone else publishedIn short, almost any kind of writing, published or not, can be turned into a great, valuable Medium story. Hopefully, this guide gives you a starting point and some guidance on how to turn your academic writing into a Medium story.

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This gold wreath thought to be from Corinth, Greece, dates to thethird to second century B.C.E. Brooklyn MuseumFrom ancient Egyptian jewelry to contemporary fashion, gold has been linked to opulence and wealth for millennia. A new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum is exploring why this particular metal has transfixed so many cultures throughout history and how its meaning has changed over time. Titled Solid Gold,Solid Gold will transport visitors through the many worlds of gold, its joyful, though at times heartbreaking, histories, says Matthew Yokobosky, the shows senior curator, in a statement. As a museum dedicated to bringing art and people in shared experiences, audiences will find inspiration, opening them to unexplored realms of beauty in their world.The show opens with a video of the 2018 launch of NASAs Parker Solar Probe, the first spacecraft to fly into the suns upper atmosphere. This footage sets the tone for an expansive, trippy show dedicated to the precious metal the Incas poetically called the tears of the sun, as Artnets Raquel Laneri writes. An installation view of "Solid Gold" at the Brooklyn Museum Paula Abreu PitaThe elaborate showcase, which includes items from around the world, is part of the museums 200th birthday celebrations. About half of the 500 items in the exhibition come from the Brooklyn Museums collections, including historic coins, Greek jewelry, Japanese screens and Renaissance altarpieces.I based the exhibition checklist on our impressive permanent collection, Yokobosky tells Vogues Christian Allaire. In reviewing our holdings, nearly 4,000 works are gold or have a gold aspect and span thousands of years, from ancient times to today.The shows opening galleries display an impressive array of artifacts that demonstrate the ancient worlds interest in gold, such as a sarcophagus dating to between 945 and 740 B.C.E. decorated with golden pigmentswhich are meant to mimic gold inlays. A golden ballgown fromBalenciaga's haute couture spring/summer 2020 collection Pari Dukovic / Trunk ArchiveThe exhibitions ancient artifacts are contrasted with contemporary artworks, films and designs. For instance, pieces of gold facial jewelry made in Panama around the first millennium C.E. are shown alongside examples of grills made in recent decades.As theNew York Times Aruna DSouza writes, This is ultimately a show about fashion.Among the highlights are splendid couture gowns from the Blonds, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Hubert de Givenchy, Marc Bohan, Azzedine Alaa and John Galliano while he was at the helm of Christian Dior, writes Vogue. Other items on view include a prototype of a necklace made for Elizabeth Taylor to wear in the film Cleopatra (1963) and a variety of Cartier jewels. A Roman bracelet from 379 to 395 C.E. decorated with gold, emeralds, sapphires and glass The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, CaliforniaMuseumgoers will also learn about golds origins, as well as the consequences connected to its production. Through artworks and artifacts, one section of the exhibition tells a global story of ecological transformation, environmental impact and the human repercussions that result from the search for this precious metal, per the statement. Nearby, a display of gold coins explores how currency was used to spread propaganda images of powerful rulers.In addition to golds cultural appeal, the exhibition also spotlights the lasting nature of the material itself. When it survives, gold provides researchers and archaeologists a window into the lives of cultures throughout history.Even though it doesnt corrode or tarnish, and thus can last a really long time, gold was commonly reused in the ancient worldmelted down and shaped into new forms, writes the Times. When it endures, it feels a little bit miraculous.Solid Gold is on view at the Brooklyn Museum through July 6, 2025. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Art, Art History, Artifacts, Arts, Exhibitions, Exhibits, Fashion, Film, Gold, History, Jewelry, Museums, New York City, Painting, Pop culture, Sculpture

Last week, scientists conducted the first-ever dissection of a spade-toothed whale, the rarest whale species on Earth. New Zealand Department of ConservationWhen a 16-foot, 3,000-pound mystery whale washed ashore on the South Island of New Zealand in July, even the worlds foremost cetacean experts were taken aback.Anton van Helden, a senior marine science adviser for New Zealands Department of Conservation, first saw a picture of the whale come across his phone while he was sitting on his couch, recovering from surgery. He had no doubt about what it was.I immediately went, Oh my goodness, its a spade-toothed whale! van Helden tells CNNs Lex Harvey. A lot of people didnt believe me.Van Heldens assessment turned out to be correct. The stocky, powerful-looking little animalas he describes the creature to CNNwas indeed a spade-toothed whale. The carcass was in remarkably good condition and appeared in a region of New Zealand that allowed researchers to perform the first-ever dissection of the species.But any initial disbelief from scientists was warranted: The spade-toothed species, part of the beaked whale family, is considered the rarest whale on Earth. Before now, it had only been spotted by humans six timesnever alive and never in the correct conditions for dissection. A 2012 study suggested the whales are exceptionally deep divers that dwell far below the surface of the South Pacific Ocean.Its very hard to do research on marine mammals if you dont see them at sea, Hannah Hendriks, a marine technical adviser for the Department of Conservation, told Charlotte Graham-McLay of the Associated Press (AP) after the initial discovery in July. Its a bit of a needle in a haystack. You dont know where to look.Much of the existing knowledge of the species was based on lower jaw and tooth samples collected on Pitt Island, 500 miles west of mainland New Zealand, in 1874, as well as partial remains found decades later. When specimens washed up in 2010 and 2017 on the North Islands, scientists could only undertake minimally invasive samplingand no dissectionbefore the whales were buried.This time, however, the research and dissection process, which began last week, was under the guidance of both scientists and members of local Mori tribes on the South Island. It aimed at elucidating both biological and cultural knowledge of the whale, known as a taonga, or sacred treasure, to the Mori people.As van Helden tells Eva Corlett of the Guardian, Were working around a dead animal, but its telling us about how it [lived], and also thats unpacking all of the life stories of the people involved around it.Not only was this tohor (whale) the first of its kind to be dissected by science, but it was also the first time our hap (subtribe) worked with scientists to pull together Indigenous and Western knowledge systems so we can all gain a better understanding of the whale and its behaviors, Rachel Wesley, a representative in the regional tribal government, says in a statement from the Department of Conservation.Initial findings from the extensive dissection offer the researchers new clues in understanding how spade-toothed whales liveas well as how this specific one died.One point of interest was the discovery of small vestigial teeth in the whales upper jaw. In a study of other beaked whale species, researchers determined that vestigial teeth receded as evolution favored suction feeding, primarily on squid.These little teeth embedded in the gum tells us something about their evolutionary history, van Helden says in the Department of Conservation statement. Its just another thing that we had no idea about.So too was the discovery of nine stomach chambers in the spade-toothed whale, some of which contained squid beaks and some lenses from the eyes of squid, a few parasitic worms and maybe some other parts of organisms that we are not quite sure of, van Helden says in the statement, confirming the importance of squid in the whales diet.As research on the whale continuesfrom new measurements to a CT scan of its headmore details will come into sharper focus.We also found interesting structures associated with both feeding and sound production. Weights and measurements and descriptions were made of various muscles and organs, to help us describe this species and make comparisons with related species, van Helden adds in the statement. These all add to the body of knowledge we are building.As for this specific individual, researchers believe that bruising around the head and a broken jaw indicate head trauma was the cause of death.Even as the dissection ends, the whale will have many scientific and cultural afterlives. Following the dissection, the local iwi, or tribes, will retain the jaw and teeth of the spade-toothed whale, which are sacred in Mori culture, according to the AP. The rest of the skeleton, featuring 3D-printed replacements for those parts, will wind up in the ThuraOtago Museum in Dunedin, where the public can revel in the presence of one of the worlds rarest mammals.Its a week Ill never forget in my life, van Helden says in the statement, describing the dissection. Its certainly a highlight, and its the start of the storytelling around this beautiful animal.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Biology, Cool Finds, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, Mysteries, New Zealand, Scientists, Whales

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn MoreMidJourney, the popular AI image generator with more than 19 million users (including several of us at VentureBeat), has introduced new features to enhance user customization. Today, the small company launched Pinterest-inspired Moodboards and support for multiple personalization profiles meaning users can now create and switch between multiple custom versions of Midjourneys latest image generator AI model, version 6.1, that are tailored to their unique aesthetics.The updates aim to streamline the creative process for individuals and teams, making it easier to integrate personalized styles across various projects.What are Midjourneys new moodboards?The standout feature, Moodboards, enables users to upload curated collections of images that act as inspiration for generating new art. The AI model adapts to the diversity and complexity of the uploaded images, creating a unique style profile that remixes the visual elements. This addition is complemented by the ability to create multiple personalization profiles, allowing users to organize and deploy their different styles seamlessly.Setting up a custom model has also become significantly faster, with the company claiming a fivefold improvement in image ranking speed. The ranking system is how Midjourney trains a custom model on behalf of you, the user. You need to navigate to Midjourneys image ranker and pick which of a pair of random images you like best, then continue rating pairs of images until youve reached a certain threshold where the model understands what kinds of images and aesthetics you like. Users now need just 40 ratings to begin creating a profile, with optimal stability achieved at 200. Previously, you needed 200 to personalize the model.While heavy users may still prefer contributing thousands of ratings for maximum precision, the streamlined process lowers the barrier to entry for new users.Users can begin rating pairs of images over at midjourney.com/personalize.Better organization featuresThe updates also introduce organizational improvements. Users can now name their profiles, designate one or multiple profiles as defaults, and track all images associated with specific profiles. MidJourney emphasizes that these features are particularly beneficial for those juggling multiple projects or collaborating with others.David Holz, founder of MidJourney, shared the announcement on the companys Discord server earlier today. He explained the motivation behind the updates, expressing a desire to make personalization accessible for a broader range of creative workflows. Holz highlighted that the new tools allow users to take control of their projects while maintaining the flexibility to work with diverse creative teams.As MidJourney continues to refine its personalization infrastructure, the company is soliciting user feedback through its ideas-and-features channel. These developments highlight the platforms commitment to empowering creators with tools that are both intuitive and powerful, marking another step forward in the evolution of AI-assisted creativity.The additions come as expected following Midjourneys announcement last week of an experimental new collaborative image making whiteboard feature called Patchwork. Daily insights on business use cases with VB DailyIf you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI.Read our Privacy PolicyThanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.An error occured.

Slack CPO Rob Seaman reveals how Agentforce 2.0 will transform workplace AI by leveraging contextual intelligence and deep platform integration, transforming how enterprises use AI agents for automation and collaboration.Read More

Reflecting on The Game Awards 2024 | GI MicrocastLatest episode available to download now News by GamesIndustry.biz Staff Contributor Published on Dec. 16, 2024 The latest episode of The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast is available to download now.This week, our show focuses on The Game Awards 2024. Chris reports on his experiences from attending the event, we discuss some of the big winners, and (inevitably) dive deeper into the big announcements from the night, as well as what they indicate about the state of games in the year ahead.We also have the usual What Do The Numbers Mean? segment, in which we take a look at the initial performance of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.You can listen via the player below, download the audio file directly here, or subscribe to our podcast feed, available via Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, CastBox, Player FM, TuneIn and other widely-used podcast platforms.Episode edited by Alix Attenborough.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.

What impact have layoffs had on the games industry over the past two years?InGame Job CEO Katya Sabirova shares the key takeaways from the Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2024Image credit: Big Games Industry Employment Survey, Values Value, InGame Job Feature by Katya Sabirova Contributor Published on Dec. 16, 2024 Mass layoffs have been the defining theme of the past two years and they're not over yet. The industry is still feeling the effects of this crisis, even though many players are starting to see signs of stabilization.Let's take a closer look at the layoffs of 2023-2024 in Europe to understand who was hit the hardest, how long it took professionals to find new jobs, and how their incomes and working conditions were impacted.Our main source of data is the Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2024, conducted in Spring 2024 and presented at the Devcom conference in August 2024. GamesIndustry.biz previously covered a talk by Tanja Loktionova, one of the survey's organizers, where she shared its initial findings. Now, the full report is available for free on the InGame Job portal.In this article, we'll dig deeper into the wave of mass layoffs in the industry, which was a key focus of the Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2024.Who suffered the most?Let's recap: the anonymous survey gathered over 1,800 responses from game industry professionals. The majority were mid-level or higher specialists (9% Junior, 29% Middle, 30% Senior, 28% Lead/Top). Katya Sabirova, InGame Job & Values Value | Image credit: Values ValueAdditionally, 19% of respondents had over ten years of experience in games. In short, these were mostly seasoned professionals who might have been expected to be safe from layoffs.However, even among them, some were affected: 15% reported being laid off in 2023-2024 but had already found new jobs by the time of the survey. Another 6.2% said they were laid off and remained unemployed at the time of the survey.Altogether, 21.6% of respondents reported experiencing layoffs. So, who are these professionals who found themselves out of work?When it comes to seniority levels, the survey shows that layoffs impacted professionals across the board, regardless of expertise. Between 23% and 26% of juniors, mid-levels, and seniors reported being laid off. At the Lead/Top level, the percentage was slightly lower, at 15-16%.However, the recovery process varied by seniority. Senior+ professionals tended to find new jobs relatively quickly, while mid-levels and juniors faced more challenges. By the time of the survey, 10% of mid-levels and 9% of juniors were still unemployed after being laid off. In contrast, only 3-5% of seniors, leads, and top-level professionals remained out of work. Image credit: Values ValueAmong the specializations most affected by layoffs, artists (28%), QA specialists (27%), and HR/recruitment professionals (25%) were hit the hardest. Artists and testers, in particular, struggled to find new jobs quickly 10% of artists and 11% of testers were still unemployed at the time of the survey. Image credit: Values ValueSalaries for QA and HR/recruitment professionals also declined in 2024 compared to 2023. This drop appears closely tied to layoffs, as professionals in these fields faced limited job opportunities and often had to accept less favorable offers to reduce the length of their job search. Image credit: Values ValueHow long did professionals take to find new jobs after layoffs?Looking at the full sample of respondents who changed jobs in 2023-2024, more than half managed to find a new position in less than three months. We assume that this group largely includes those who left their previous roles voluntarily.The concerning figures are those representing longer job search periods: 12.3% took between six months and a year to find a new job, while 8.1% reported searching for over a year. Image credit: Values ValueWhen looking at seniority levels, juniors emerge as the most vulnerable group nearly half of all junior respondents reported taking more than six months to find a new job. Mid-levels and seniors had similar timelines, with mid-levels trailing slightly behind seniors in speed. Only 5-6% of mid-levels and seniors spent over a year searching for a new role.Top-level experts and senior leaders demonstrated faster job searches, with 62% finding a new role in under three months. However, 25% of them reported that it took over six months to secure their next position. We believe this is because professionals at this level have more time and flexibility to carefully select roles that meet their expectations and requirements. Image credit: Values ValueThe next slide, breaking down results by professional fields, highlights how challenging the job search was for QA specialists, artists, and, to some extent, HR managers and recruiters.QA specialists had the hardest time; nearly half of respondents in this group spent over six months looking for a new job, with 26% searching for more than a year. Similarly, 10% of artists and HR/recruitment professionals also reported spending over a year finding their next role. Image credit: Values ValueSasha Kononenko, recruitment lead and partner at Values Value told me: "There's an interesting trend with UA managers: from late winter to mid-summer 2024, there was a noticeable influx of candidates actively job hunting. However, by fall, most had already secured new roles, and those who have been with their current companies for a while are now highly reluctant to consider any changes."Artists are facing a tough time those entering the job market are struggling to find new opportunities due to high competition and a limited number of openings."Who had to switch industries?A total of 10% of respondents left the gaming industry during the wave of mass layoffs.The highest percentage of those who left after failing to find a role was among juniors at 31%. That's significant. Imagine: nearly one-third of entry-level professionals in the gaming industry (the potential mid-level specialists of tomorrow) exited the field after being unable to secure a position. This ongoing crisis is driving young talent away, slowing the industry's growth and hindering its ability to benefit from the fresh, innovative ideas that these professionals often bring.Other groups also experienced departures during this period: 11% of mid-levels, 8% of seniors, 5% of team leads, and 11% of top-level experts left the industry.By specialization, 28% of QA specialists, 32% of HR managers and recruiters, 15% of analysts, 14% of product and project managers, 9% of marketers, and 5% of programmers transitioned out of gaming. As for game designers, the destination for the 10% who left the industry remains unclear, but this is the share of respondents who reported being forced to switch fields.How did working conditions change for those who switched jobs during the layoffs?According to the survey:44% of specialists who changed jobs in 2023-2024 saw an increase in salary and/or career advancement.24% ended up in lower positions and/or with reduced salaries.21% found that their salary and position stayed the same.And, as was mentioned above, 10% had to switch other industries.Before the crisis, job changes were often a reliable trigger for salary increases and career growth. However, the new data reveals that mass layoffs have disrupted this trend.In 2023-2024, 25% of mid-levels and 26% of seniors reported accepting lower salaries and/or positions at their new jobs. Similarly, 15% of team leads and 10% of top-level experts experienced the same.Additionally, nearly a quarter of respondents across all seniority levels (except juniors) indicated that their income and position remained about the same after changing jobs.Juniors, however, faced unique challenges. A significant 36% of entry-level professionals accepted less favorable conditions (lower salary or position) after switching jobs, while only 11% reported maintaining the same terms.When it comes to professional fields, there's no surprise QA specialists and HR professionals were hit the hardest. Additionally, many game designers (25%), artists (31%), and programmers (27%) experienced a decline in earnings and/or career progression after switching jobs last year. Image credit: Values ValueFor this article, we spoke anonymously with a laid-off employee from one of the largest game studios. Here's their comment:"It took me about six months to find a new job. I should mention that during the first few months, I wasn't very active in my job search my priority was dealing with my work visa, which was tied to my previous employment, and I needed to sort that out. Unfortunately, besides finding new employment, those laid off often have to deal with a lot of additional issues. One of them is handling emotional breakdowns, because being laid off is always painful, especially when you don't expect it and feel secure in your position."Job hunting is a full-time job. I woke up in the morning and opened LinkedIn. It's recommended to tailor your resume for every job you apply to, and that's good advice, but I didn't have the energy for that. What helped was that I was mainly looking for similar roles. The most effective way to find a job is still through networking. So working on your personal brand is a great idea. People should be able to associate your name with your field when someone is looking for a specialist like you."Now I'm working at a company of a completely different scale, so my conditions have changed: I earn less, and the usual corporate benefits like health insurance, company events, and so on are gone. But I view it with calm understanding: now I have more opportunities to see the results of my work and my contribution to the overall mission.What's happening in the job market now?How have companies' hiring approaches changed? How have candidates' negotiation strategies evolved when seeking employment? What should we expect from the job market in the future? Sasha Kononenko, Values Value | Image credit: Values ValueSasha Kononenko shares her observations: "As for companies' hiring approaches, they continue to set high standards and expect finalists to meet those requirements 100%, all while keeping salary expectations reasonable. It feels like companies are leaving less room for compromise for example, considering candidates with potential who might need time to build missing skills. Employers seem less willing to provide a ramp-up period, expecting new hires to hit the ground running and deliver results immediately."Candidates, in turn, are concerned about the stability of potential employers: they want to know about flagship projects in the company's portfolio, what's already generating profit, or if there are investments from venture funds or other sources that indicate the company isn't likely to shut down overnight. These guarantees are now a key focus for candidates."If you're affected by layoffs and struggle to find the right job, how can you protect yourself from endless job searching? Kononenko suggests focusing on personal branding. There are many webinars now on building and developing a personal brand, regardless of whether you're in PR, bizdev, or a 2D artist. Being present on professional social networks is essential for everyone it's a valuable asset in case of layoffs.With a personal brand and a broad network, the chances of finding a new job quickly are much higher. So, now is the time to shed shyness and introversion, and start sharing your successful and unsuccessful cases, your experience, industry insights, start discussions, and exchange opinions. Build a network of potential hiring managers, industry experts, and interesting people who can offer expert advice or connect you to the right contacts.Sasha suggests asking yourself: "If I were laid off tomorrow, which companies would I want to work for?" Make a list, check if there are relevant job openings, connect with a recruiter or Talent Manager from that company. Even if you don't need it right away, you'll be prepared for worst-case scenarios.Katya Sabirova is CEO at InGame Job, and PR and comms adviser at Values Value

At last week's Game Awards ceremony, developer SuperAuthenti debuted a teaser for its in-development open-world adventure cat game Catly, a video that was short on gameplay details and long on exceptionally cute cats with oversized, colorful eyes. After the trailer debuted, viewersmany of them game developersbegan speculating that the game or the trailer are using generative AI technology.As internet sleuths dug through the business profiles of SuperAuthenti and its executives, some began to wonder if the game might also use blockchain technology.The company (like a cat) played coy at first, first telling Digital Trends it would share more details on the game in 2025. That seems to have changed. Today, a SuperAuthenti PR spokesperson told Game Developer that there is no generative AI in Catly or its teaser. Additionally, they said Catly is "not a blockchain game," and there are no non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or other blockchain currency affiliated with the product."We did not use generative AI to produce the video and the game," the spokesperson said. "In fact we are very surprised by such speculation. We do not think there are any existing AI tools that could produce a video like that. Industry experts have echoed this opinion."SuperAuthenti shared a work-in-progress video of the Catly trailer with Game Developer, which contained a number of before-and-after shots showing the pre-rendered kitties bouncing around their playroom. The cat's models did not appear to contain telltale signs of generated 3D models (no unusual symmetry, no melded limbs, and no baked-in textures), and the environment also appeared to be created with traditional 3D animation. Some shots featured the cats rendered with full fur, others showed models implemented before fur animations were added.Related:The cat models did appear to have been fully mapped and rigged before these clips were captured, but it otherwise didn't seem that different from other behind-the-scenes clips of CG animation.SuperAuthenti says any there isn't any blockchain technology in CatlyAs spotted by Digital Trends, Speculation over Catly's possible use of blockchain tech was based on a possible connection to blockchain game developer TenthPlanet. TenthPlanet was "started" by William Wei Chen and colleague Kevin Yeung. Yeung is registered as the founder of SuperAuthenti. Animation and VFX news outlet 80 Level stated it reviewed documents saying SuperAuthenti is the sole shareholder of Shanghai Binmao Technology, which previously developed a blockchain-based "botanical and gardening experience."SuperAuthenti's spokesperson did not address these business connections, but did push back on the idea that Catly uses any blockchain technology. "Catly is not a blockchain game," the spokesperson said. "There are no NFTs. Our company/project has never issued any blockchain currency and any NFTs. Our company does not and has never owned any blockchain currency and NFTs."The spokesperson said that SuperAuthenti is "excited to reveal more about the game," and its own background in 2025.

Justin Carter, Contributing EditorDecember 16, 20242 Min ReadImage via Riot Games.At a GlanceThe ongoing voice actors strike is forcing Riot to change up its approach to voice work for different League skins.The video game voice actors strike is entering its fifth month, and Riot Games is making "temporary changes" to how it handles voices for in-game Leage of Legends skins. These changes come months after SAG-AFTRA called for Formosa Interactive, the popular MOBA's voiceover studio, to be struck back in September.Since League's PC version is a struck title, union actors aren't allowed to record lines for it while the strike is active. As such, skins for champions with actors based in the United States will use already-recorded "base voiceovers (VO)" rather than lines done by different actors. When the strike ends, the studio will update those affected skins with new lines from their original actors "as soon as scheduling and availability will allow."Some skins alter a character's voice, and actors change their performance and record new lines to reflect that theming. Riot said its new 'policy' only affects English-language voices, so other languages will have custom VO "as planned." It also noted that while the mobile game League of Legends: Wild Rift is not struck, it will ship character skins with similar base VO if an actor for that title opts to not record in solidarity with their peers."We know this isnt ideal, and we understand its frustrating to have to wait for custom VO," said Riot. "But this approach lets us respect the ongoing strike while continuing to deliver new content. Were committed to bringing you updated VO with the quality you expect as soon as we can."Riot was pulled further into the strike's orbit when the actors union filed an unfair labor charge against Formosa and accused it of seeking non-union talent on a struck game from Riot.Shortly after, the developer released a statement saying it was uninvolved in Formosa's alleged behavior, and that the project in question "relates to a non-Riot [title], and has nothing to do withLeagueor any of our games."For its part, Formosa had also dismissed SAG-AFTRA's accusations at the time, saying it "has not acted in any manner to undermine employee or union rights, nor our relationship with the union. [...] We stand with developers, publishers, platform holders, and talent to support global game development in a way that is safe and ethical for all."Read more about:UnionizationAbout the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like