Game Development Career Day

April 15-16, 2026

Join us for two days of networking designed to strengthen career development opportunities for our students and alumni and build relationships between studios and aspiring developers. This year’s event will feature a full day of industry interaction, professional development, and student showcases, allowing professionals to spend time mentoring, evaluating, and identifying talent across multiple settings. Events will provide plentiful time to review fresh talent, hear from industry keynote speakers, explore our campus facilities, and learn about the many opportunities to partner with our program to help shape the next generation of game development.

Free to attend! Refreshments, lunch, and parking included.



Event Details

April 15 | Opening Sessions

Industry Panel: 6:30pm-7:30pm, Moody Auditorium
"The Next Generation of Games: How Studios and Development Roles Are Evolving"
A discussion about how game development is changing across tools, workflows, team structures, and role expectations.

Networking Social: 7:30pm-9:30pm, Ford Hall Second Floor 

April 16 | 51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall Career Day

10:00am-5:00pm, Ford Hall

A full day of career-focused events for industry, students, and alumni.
Professional Development: 1-on-1 resume and portfolio reviews, mock interviews, and career advising sessions
Industry Presentations: Learn from presenters and keynote speakers with esteemed career experience
Student Game Showcases: Featuring Cohort 34's TGP games and C35's TGP 2 alpha
Experience a Live Class: Open class for Cohort 35 to showcase their work
Discover 51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall: Visit with our Admissions and Career Services team and take a guided facility tour





Industry Speakers

  • Steve Nix

    Panelist

    CEO at ForwardXP

    A 51³Ô¹ÏÍøalumnus with over 25 years of leadership experience in the games industry, Steve has driven major technology shifts in gaming with industry defining partners in roles including CEO at Yvolver, Inc, Division Vice President of GM Digital Distribution at GameStop, Director of Digital Platforms at id Software, and CEO of Ritual Entertainment.

  • Joanie Kraut

    Panelist

    CEO at Women in Games International

    Joanie is a finance, operations, and business leader with two decades of experience helping tech and gaming organizations turn ambitious ideas into well-run, scalable businesses. In addition to her position at WIGI, she also serves on the Gaming Advisory Council for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

  • Chris Schmidt

    Panelist

    Game Director at Infinity Ward

    51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall alumnus Chris Schmidt has over 15 years of experience shipping and optimizing AAA live service titles and designing levels, gameplay, encounters, and systems for top studios including BioWare and Infinity Ward, contributing to leading franchises including Star Wars: The Old Republic, Call of Duty, Anthem, and more.

  • Jami Jeffcoat

    Keynote Speaker

    Lead Gameplay Designer at Stone Kite

    An alumna of 51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall, Jami started her career in Technical Design at Bungie. In her 10 years there, she launched Destiny 1 and 2, built tools for animators, and led Boss design features including Savathûn, the Witch Queen. Jami now brings her expertise to Stone Kite, building games based on original Transmedia IPs from franchises across comics, film, print media, and gaming.

  • Paul Allen

    Presenter

    Senior 3D Animator at id Software

    Paul Allen is a computer animator and instructor who has worked in feature films, TV, commercial, and gaming since 1997. Across his noteworthy career, Paul has contributed to a large number of major franchises, including DOOM and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, at leading studios including id Software, Gearbox Software, ReelFX, Terminal Reality, and KingsIsle Entertainment. 

  • Pennington Ingley

    Presenter

    Manager of Media & Entertainment and Gaming Technical Accounts Managers at Google

    51³Ô¹ÏÍøalumnus Pennington Ingley is recognized for his unique blend of strategic vision, technical expertise, and leadership skills. His 25 years of experience has included founding and leadership roles in serious and casual game publishing, as well as cloud computing and technical account management.


Register to Participate

Registration Deadline: April 7, 2026

 

*NOTE* This event is only open to 51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall game development students, alumni, and industry guests. If you are a student or alumnus of any other program, please contact your department or Hegi Career Center to learn about events open to you.




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smu guildhall people students career services




What attending 51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall Career Day means for your studio:

  • Access to 51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall students and alumni, including: students in Cohort 34 graduating in May 2026 and job-seeking alumni interested in new opportunities
  • Review of resumes, portfolios, and student work directly through structured sessions
  • Hands-on time with Cohort 34's published games in the Game Showcase to identify standout candidates
  • Build early relationships with future hiring prospects even if you are not actively hiring today
  • Conduct scheduled on-campus interviews with selected students if you are recruiting
  • Free lunch & refreshments


More Information 

Transportation and Parking

51³Ô¹ÏÍøis a pedestrian-friendly campus. Ford Hall is located nearby to several guest parking lots and garages.

Driving your own car? Request a 51³Ô¹ÏÍøparking pass during registration so we can set you up with free on-campus parking!

Need a car service from the airport? Ride services including Uber and Lyft are easy to access, as well as Big Town Limo (214-725-2568).

Lodging

51³Ô¹ÏÍøis nearby to several hotels within walking distance including the , , and .


Photo of 51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall Assistant Director of Career Services, Jonathan Roach

Questions? Get in touch with us.

We are happy to provide you with more details about this event as well as how you can get involved with 51³Ô¹ÏÍøGuildhall Career Services and Industry Partnerships. Please reach out!

Jonathan Roach, Assistant Director, Career Services

roachj@smu.edu

214-768-5150





Past Participants

  • 900lbs of Creative
  • Activision
  • Aireal
  • Airship Syndicate
  • Alloy Media and Technologies
  • Arkane Studios
  • Army Game Studio
  • ArtCraft Entertainment
  • Atom Switch
  • Avacata
  • Avalanche Studios
  • Battlecry Studios
  • Bethesda Game Studio
  • Blind Squirrel
  • Blizzard Entertainment
  • BonusXP
  • Boss Fight Entertainment
  • Brazen Animation
  • Certain Affinity
  • Cinema
  • CityMixr
  • Click Here Labs/The Richards Group
  • Daybreak Game Company
  • Deck Nine
  • Enduring Games
  • Ericsson
  • Fair Trade Technologies
  • Flight School Studio
  • ForwardXP
  • Game Circus
  • Gearbox Software
  • Genpact
  • Groove Jones
  • Gunfire Games
  • Headstorm, LLC
  • High Moon Studios
  • High Voltage Software
  • id Software
  • ID Tech
  • Infinity Ward
  • Insomniac Games
  • Intific
  • Jackpot Rising
  • Keywords Studios
  • KoiosWorks
  • L3
  • Looty Games
  • Midnight Studios
  • Nerd Kingdom
  • Nerve Software
  • NetEase Games
  • Niantic
  • Obsidian Entertainment
  • Ommo Technologies
  • OnComfort
  • Opera Mediaworks
  • Optech 4D
  • PeopleFun
  • Petersen Games
  • Playful Corp.
  • PolyKnight Games
  • QC Games
  • Respawn Entertainment
  • Robot Entertainment
  • Samsung
  • SCA Gaming
  • Seismic Games
  • Sixfoot
  • Sony / Sony Playstation
  • Spacetime Studios
  • Spidermonk Entertainment
  • Stray Kite
  • Studio Wildcard
  • The Study Center
  • SubVRsive
  • Survios, Inc.
  • Tyler Technologies
  • Vecfour Digital
  • The Virtual Wild
  • Virtuix
  • Walker Boys Studio
  • Wonder Works
  • [x]cube Labs
  • Your Daily Fill
  • Yvolver
  • Zenimax Media
  • And more!