Game development People People The UK has a relatively unique Rise of the unions and rapidly changing working environment, with the rise of UK gaming workers continue to individuals working in the gig seek greater recognition of their economy, as well as an increase in employment rights on an individual people taking second jobs, shaking and collective basis. An increase in up how we’ve understood traditional trade union membership for those employment law to date. Given the in the gaming industry has been way in which the game industry is particularly marked post-COVID-19, structured, game businesses need with news of mass redundancies to be mindful of shifting regulatory indicating a less optimistic outlook, and cultural norms and how these leading workers to seek protection will affect them. from unions. Movements such as ‘Games Workers Unite!’, now affiliated Game businesses need to be with the Games Workers Unite UK aware of, and regularly review, branch of the Independent Workers their workers’ employment status Union of Great Britain (IWGB), have in the UK and consider a range of gained considerable traction. compliance issues including working The pandemic highlighted time, holiday entitlement, overtime inequalities within the labour market, and pay rates, as these are all areas which unions have capitalised which can lead to litigation, often on. During COVID-19, the IWGB with union backing or involvement. successfully challenged the More recently, the scope for AI to government for failing to provide at once enrich and threaten jobs workers with the same health and currently carried out by gaming safety protections under European workers means that there’s scope for law, as those afforded to employees. volatility within a workforce which Post-COVID-19, the membership of has, to date, been considered ‘agile’. the gaming workers branch of the 51