Freelancing With Indies

Freelancing within the gaming industry is an incredibly unique experience and can sometimes feel a bit alien from a female or marginalised gender perspective. When you are working for clients and charging people money for your services, there's an expectation you set yourself to work harder than everyone else, partly because your imposter syndrome is often reminding you that you’re one of the lucky few. Promoting yourself online and bragging is also part of your job, but it sometimes feels like you’re going against the grain to try and prove your imposter syndrome wrong.

One of the key ways to maintain clientele is usually attending events and keeping your face and name known. At first, it can feel very daunting when you enter a networking social and immediately feel outnumbered the second you walk in. Whilst this can sometimes feel like the odds are stacked against you, I think most of my positive interactions and best clientele have come from indie studios I’ve encountered at these socials, as they usually go out of their way to make you feel included.

What I love most about working with indie developers is the incredible range and diversity in their games, which is often reflected in the teams that create them. It's also a space that feels non-judgmental and your opinion counts towards something (even as a freelancer who may only have temporary involvement in a project). A lot of the games I’ve helped make in the indie scene are games I would play myself, so it's fulfilling knowing I've creativity contributed to something I think people like me would get a lot of enjoyment from!

It’s in these spaces I feel I’ve found my sense of belonging and worth. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with some amazing women and nonbinary folk who inspired me so much. These are the people who helped me thrive creativity and also gave me the confidence to put myself out there more.

Written By Katie Wright

Socials: @ktcreating.bsky.social