In times of mass layoffs and studio closures, Amir Satvat helped more than 3,000 people find a new job in the gaming industry. For this, he was recognized at the Game Awards 2024.
Who is this about? The gaming industry has faced numerous layoffs and studio closures in recent years. Microsoft alone laid off 1,900 people in their gaming sector. During these uncertain times, Amir Satvat is assisting people in finding work in gaming.
Satvat, who entered the gaming industry relatively late and currently works for Tencent, combined his excellent Excel skills with his knowledge of automated web scraping and his own insights into the gaming industry.
This helped over 3,000 people find jobs. For his commitment, he was honored on the night of December 13, 2024, at the Game Awards.
Satvat’s online presence is inspired by the style of Dave the Diver.
What exactly does Satvat do? Satvat originally started in 2022 by creating automated spreadsheets with available job offers and sharing them via LinkedIn. Over time, this developed into a continually growing collection of resources.
This includes, among other things, free offerings for mentors, resume reviews, mock interviews, and career planning. At the Game Awards 2024, Satvat was awarded the first “Game Changers” award, a new prize that aims to recognize individuals who have a positive impact on the gaming industry.
Here are the reactions: When Satvat took the stage to accept his award, there were standing ovations at the Game Awards. In his speech, the “Game Changer” pointed out the 34,000 layoffs in the last 2.5 years.
This would result in an overwhelming loss of experience, Satvat stated. He promised game makers everywhere that they would be “seen and appreciated” and explained: “You can’t make great games without great people.”
You can watch the moving moment here:
Viewers at home were also impressed by Satvat’s performance and speech. In one of the top comments on YouTube, it reads: “This is an incredible addition as an award. Honestly, this award should sit right next to the GOTY award at the top of the show. […]”
Another writes: “I was really disappointed when the layoffs weren’t mentioned last year at the TGAs. […] Something needs to change, we need to talk about it, and I’m so glad Geoff finally acknowledged us. […] Thank you for speaking about it, Geoff. Thank you for creating an award for Amir. Thank you for giving a voice to the many people whose careers were ended. […]”
On X, Satvat is referred to as a “legend” and “career Santa Claus.” Many users are touched by his speech and agree that the gaming industry needs more people like him who are making a positive change.
Alongside special individuals like Amir Satvat, numerous games were naturally honored at the Game Awards as well. To find out who took home an award, and who gets to celebrate the title of “Game of the Year,” check out MeinMMO: Game Awards 2024: Game of the Year – All nominations and winners at a glance
