Imagine studying game design at a top UK institution while also being given the skills to manage one of the biggest challenges in the industry – mental health – after recent data from industry body Ukie revealed that 38% of workers reported anxiety, depression or both.
MetStudios, launched in 2024 as the sister school of MetFilm School, offering games development and animation degrees, has partnered with Safe In Our World, a leading mental health charity, to do exactly that.
For students aspiring to a career in games development, this could be the edge that sets their training, and their future, apart.
The games industry is a dream job for many creative teens across the UK. It’s worth around £7bn to the UK economy and employs thousands of people.
But behind the pixelated fun, it’s also an industry wrestling with burnout and rising anxiety.
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Beyond the 38% figure in Ukie’s 2024 report, the 2024 Skills Report by TIGA, the trade association that represents the UK video and games industry, showed half of the games businesses surveyed found it hard to fill vacancies, and that that the “impact of these skill shortages can be felt across entire teams, with 65% of respondents saying that workload had increased.”
54% of studios also said that projects had been delayed, and half of those surveyed found an increased need to outsource work. For young people, though, this shortage also spells opportunity – studios need new talent, and quickly.
MetFilm School, which has long bridged education and professional practice through its film and media programmes, is now turning its lens on games, with MetStudios being the first educational institution to join this initiative to ensure that mental health is in the spotlight.
“Mental health is something that should be front and centre in everything we do, and our pledge to level-up mental health with support from Safe In Our World will ensure that our environment is safe and supportive for our student and staff mental health at all times,” said Rosemary Chalmers, head of school at MetStudios.
“I’m excited to explore this more holistically and push this further by ensuring that students at MetStudios are considering their impact on mental health in the narrative worlds they create through video games.”
Safe In Our World brings expertise from its work with both developers and players, offering resources and an ethos of well-being that MetStudios plans to embed into its courses.
The partnership comes at an important moment for the charity. The success of Safe In Our World’s recent charity bundle with Fanatical, raising over £150,000 for mental health by February 2025, shows a growing appetite for change.
For students, it shows that the next generation of game-makers won’t just inherit problems but might help solve them.
Chalmers added: “This partnership reflects MetStudios’ ongoing commitment to preparing students for careers in the creative industries while ensuring they have the tools to thrive personally and professionally.
“By embedding mental health awareness into our culture and curriculum, we are supporting our students to create games and stories that are mindful of their impact on both players, and society.”
MetStudios is the UK’s fastest-growing school for games, animation, and VFX, with campuses in Leeds and Manchester as well as London, Berlin, Brighton and Bristol.
