Hailey Rojas’ Post

WE MADE IT!!! 😆 Be proud. Whether you're ramping up to continue the job search or simply taking a step back to relax. Just know that you're here, and you MADE it. ❤️ So, rather than partake in the traditional #SocialSunday, let's take today to celebrate the wins in life. 😀 I'll go first: 💪I can lift up to 45 IBs at the Gym! 💃I ordered my cosplay for Anime NYC! 🧙♀️I completed my first full month as a Wizard at Indie Game Academy!!! And... I'm almost finished with pre patch content for Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIV!!! 😈🔥 How are my fellow friends doing? 👀 Amir Satvat Amanda Lynn C. Alexander Rehm Alex Gombos Christina-Marie Drake Desirée Rincón Faith Morgan Justin Williams Kat Craig Matt Barney Mika Dilig Tommy Foo Willem Delventhal #GameIndustry #GameDev #IndieDev #IndieRevolution #Indie #Networking #Jobseekers #EntryLevel #Community #OpenToNetwork #LGBTQ+ #Marketing #Student #MentalHealth #Layoffs #Support

Someone just said I'm 'Not a Real Gamer'. I'd like to respond with the following: This is me, irresponsibly buying over 12 Mountain Dew bottles because I had JUST heard about Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIV collab. 😶🌫️ As someone who grew up practically BREATHING RPGs, the comment honestly made me do a double take. Granted, while I may not know ALL the hit titles (Especially Sports, I'm sorry), to laugh when I talk about my favorite genre and dismiss them as 'Not real games' discredits not only myself, but all the incredible talent that went into crafting said games in the first place. 🥲 With hundreds of thousands of hours worth of content out there, it's understandable that not everyone will have time to play each and every second of it all. And that's okay! Everyone deserves to have their niche. ❤️ Anyways, this is your daily reminder that being a Gamer doesn't mean you have to play every single title out there. Let's do our best to stop the Gatekeeping, please. #GameIndustry #GameDev #EntryLevel #Indie #IndieRevolution #Movement #DEI #Network #Community #Love #LGBTQ+ #Support #Gatekeeping #WomenSupportingWomen #OpenToNetwork LinkedIn

Friends like Amanda are the reason we as a community need to band together. If a company requires one to relocate, they shouldn't be allowed to layoff said person less than a few weeks into their job. It's inhumane, and it's time someone actually talked about it. Because if we continue to remain silent, eventually one day we may be the ones facing the atrocities which some companies view as 'Saving their bottom line'. #IndieRevolution #GameIndustry #GameDev #IndieDev #Jobseekers #EntryLevel #Layoffs #Support #LayoffSupport #Networking #Community #OpenToNetwork #Movement #Change #Love #WomenSupportingWomen

Okay. This is too cool NOT to share. Any Elden Ring fans here??? FromSoftware, Inc. should get this guy a meeting 😶🌫️ #GameIndustry #GameDev #IndieDev #Support #EntryLevel #Combat #IndieRevolution #Network #Community #Love #Unreal #Jobseekers #OpenToNetwork

Someone wants to CHARGE me for an interview? 😅 Respectfully, no thank you. #GameIndustry #Interview #GameDev #IndieDev #Indie #Networking #OpenToNetwork #Community #Yikes

Remote work, "Do we even still need such a thing?" 🤔 If you answered no, we need to talk. With most AAA companies holding the 'Return to Office' mindset, I've been beginning to notice quite a few changes in the way some approach certain policies both in and out of the workplace. 😶🌫️ For example, relief packages being scaled down. Just this month alone, our Spectrum internet bill was raised from $60 to over $120 dollars as a result of 'No longer being necessary'. 🥲 Not to mention, remember Sheetz? Last year, they ran a July 4th promotion where gas was JUST UNDER 2 DOLLARS. This year? Nothing. 🤨 The icing on the cake? Imagine tacking all of this on to afford basic necessities such as food, rent, medical bills, or simply time to spend with those you love. When a job can be feasibly done in a remote setting, it should. Not only does it allow those with accessibility needs to better thrive, but it also prevents situations like my friend Amanda Lynn C., who uprooted their ENTIRE LIFE by moving to another country, only to be laid off right before even getting started. As someone who currently works remote, I'm glad to call these other remote friendly Studios and Advocates my friends: AAPI in Gaming Gay Gaming Professionals Cave Bear Games Raftur Games Sweet and Power Sauce Dinobyte Softworks LLC Digital Scorpion Interactive DigiPen Institute of Technology Desirée Rincón Kat Craig Jennifer DuBrava Hinton (she/her) Willem Delventhal Indie Game Academy Remote work should never be "A Phase". #IndieRevolution #GameIndustry #GameDev #IndieDev #Indie #EntryLevel #Accessibility #Community #Networking #Resource #DEI #Games #Tech #Remote #Jobs #Student #OpenToNetwork

To all my American friends, Happy BBQ Day!!! 😆❤️ Personally, my girlfriend and I plan to celebrate by cooking up these AWESOME porterhouse steaks we got from Stew Leonard's Farm Fresh Food. Growing up, my stepfather would always for special occasions grill my family some amazing food ranging from traditional hamburgers and hotdogs to a really good baked Ziti 🤤 As a treat both to myself and my partner, I figured I'd continue that tradition. Hopefully they're good!! 😀 #Holiday #Personal #Food #GameIndustry #LGBTQ+ #Community #OpenToNetwork #GenZ #July #GoodVibes

FRIENDS!!!! Today I woke up to over 8,000 of you!! 😆❤️ Honestly, to say I'm happy is an understatement. The amount of positivity I see both within the content I post, as well as in my LinkedIn inbox means SO much to me. As I continue sharing my journey of moving through the Games' Industry, I'd love to just once again thank the friends who make it all worth while: Amir Satvat: I tag him in nearly every resource post because honestly he's the main reason I keep pushing. His smile is contagious, and his love for our Community is what inspired me to take the step towards establishing my platform in the first place. I am eternally grateful for building #OpenToNetwork alongside him, as well as fostering a community of positivity and realness via his Public Community Hub. 😎 Mika Dilig: I met them at this year's Game Developers Conference, and ever since then I've absolutely ADORED being their friend. Not only did we kick butt with our month long Game Jam piece, Mika also taught me so much when it comes to how we as a community can do better in terms of supporting marginalized groups. ❤️ Different Games Collective: Since I can't fit everyone into one specific section, I'd love to highlight the absolute pleasure it's been assisting whenever and wherever I can. without DGC and their Sponsorship for assisting minority groups in Games, I'd never would have been able to attend GDC and make friends with everyone. I know my personal schedule has been hectic, but, I do hope to continue trying to assist however and whenever I can. 🔥 Matt Barney: MY GUY!!! His HYPE is what always makes me smile. He's so real, and as someone who definitely would consider themselves a bit unhinged, Matt is the type of person I see on my feed and smile knowing that I get to shake hands on our posts every now and then. 😈 Willem Delventhal: I met you so suddenly at GDC because curiosity got the better of me seeing some dude randomly dressed at this professional conference as a whole dang Wizard outfit. As someone who wants to break down the barriers between new and senior folks looking to learn, I can confidently say that I'll be following Willem to the MOON going forward 🚀🚀🚀 There are so many people who continue to have my back and while I can't fit them all into one LinkedIn post, just know that it means the world to me. Whether you're lurking, or simply liking/sharing a post every now and then. You all mean the world to me, and I'm so happy that I can continue to share piece of mine with everyone. 😀✨️ #GameIndustry #GameDev #Indie #IndieDev #IndieRevolution #Milestone #Celebrate #Community #Networking #MentalHealth #GoodVibes #DEI #LGBTQ+ #EntryLevel #Happy

Friends, I could use your help. 👀 In light of my most recent post: Honestly, I've been seeing quite a lot of (healthy!) discussion when it comes to my personal take regarding my friend Amir Satvat's Game Industry jobs data source. As someone who's worked tirelessly and knows friends who've done the same, while I can't speak for everyone, I know for a fact there's a good portion of students who by all means don't go into schooling expecting a job to be handed to them. In fact, a big claim I've seen is how those with more experience are applying to the already limited Entry Level positions out of desperation and being accepted as a means of 'Hiring top tier talent for a low level cost'. With my personal ambitions being to better understand and help our community, can someone please provide some insight as to the validity of this? As always, I'd like to thank everyone for always contributing to a healthy and insightful discussion! 😄❤️ #GameIndustry #GameDev #IndieDev #Indie #IndieRevolution #EntryLevel #Jobs #Layoffs #Support #Poll #Community #OpenToNetwork #Networking #Application #Data

According to my friend Amir Satvat, if you're Entry Level, less than 4% of jobs are available to you. 😶🌫️ Let's break that down. Truthfully, when I saw the graph, I was shook. Imagine paying over 200 thousand for a degree to enter an industry that doesn't even want you. That's how it felt to my friends who saw: 🤨 Internships not accepting Senior year students 🥲 Places like Insomniac Games, Santa Monica Studio, and The Walt Disney Company suddenly canceling open positions 🤔The absurd requirements of existing Entry Level jobs Throughout my journey of entering Games, nearly everyone I spoke to said the same thing. "I got in because I knew someone." Now, imagine how difficult that 4% becomes when part of being Entry Level is forming those must have connections in the first place. What about those who aren't financially fortunate enough to attend 'Must see' conferences like Game Developers Conference or Gumbo NYC? What about those who have accessibility needs which add an additional hurdle to cross in order to attend the infamous Coffee Chat? What about those who just want to feel that they're enough. In a world where mental health is a constant battle for some, surely we as an industry can come together to better that 4%. We can be the change we want to see. ❤️ I already know these folks already are: Alexander Rehm Alex Gombos Ayla Derrick AAPI in Gaming Cave Bear Games Gay Gaming Professionals Kat Craig Student Game Developers' Alliance Sarah Zilonis Michael Lubker Willem Delventhal Indie Game Academy #IndieRevolution #GameIndustry #Game #IndieDev #Indie #GameDev #Layoffs #Support #EntryLevel #Graduate #Jobs #Community #Networking #OpenToNetwork #Internship #RealTalk #DEI #MentalHealth