I work in games, but what I care most about is helping people stay in the games industry.

I’m a Business Development Director at Tencent Games in North America, with 20 years of experience across Amazon, Veeam, VMware, Dell EMC, and Goldman Sachs. At Amazon, I led business development and strategy for Prime Gaming and was a Principal Producer for Amazon Games.

I’m best known as the founder of ASGC (Always Supporting the Games Community), the largest career support initiative in games. ASGC helps game developers through layoffs and career transitions. Supported by nearly 2,500 volunteer coaches, the community has facilitated almost 90,000 coaching conversations. Through 13 free job-seeking resources across LinkedIn, Discord, and other platforms, the community has helped more than 4,500 people secure jobs. The guiding principle is simple: we help gamers get hired. Zero profit, infinite caring.

In 2023, this work was recognized when I was named a LinkedIn Top Voice in Video Games and received the International Special Industry Achievement Award from the Australian XR Festival. In 2024, it was further honored with the inaugural Game Changer Award at The Game Awards.

In 2025, the community’s efforts during industry layoffs were recognized with the Giving Award from Games for Change and the inaugural Industry Impact Award from Game Dev Heroes. At the External Development Summit (XDS), this work was also honored with the Unsung Hero Award.

Across 40+ global events, ASGC has distributed more than 3,000 free tickets. For their 2025 and 2026 events, our community partnered with GDC and gamescom to provide over $500K in free passes.

In addition to my role at Tencent, I serve as an advisory network member at Vivrato and as a special advisor to the Zero Abuse Project. Our community annually supports Gamers for CHOC, benefiting CHOC Children’s.

ASGC has been featured by Business Insider, Bloomberg, NPR, CBC, The Los Angeles Times, Epic, IGN, GamesBeat, PC Gamer, Polygon, The Fourth Curtain, Naavik, and more. I’ve spoken at GDC, DICE, GamesBeat, MIGS, XP Games Summit, and served as a keynote speaker at XDS.

Follow for practical career support, industry context, and real help for people working in games.

I hold an MBA from the Wharton School, an MB in Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania, an MPA in Policy and Management from NYU, and a BS in Finance from Boston College, where I was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist and named a top 10 graduate.

My wife and I work remotely from my hometown of Farmington, Connecticut, where we live with our three boys.

If you're looking for work now or later, here’s how to write a great LinkedIn post, based on what’s worked for thousands of successful ASGC hires

✅ What to include in your post:

1. Highlight your experience
Names of studios, shipped titles, platforms. Anything that instantly tells someone where you’ve been.
Example: “Senior Producer at Bungie (Destiny 2 expansions), also shipped live content for Apex Legends.”

2. Say what you bring to the table. Cite metrics
Get specific with tools, systems, or responsibilities. Avoid generalities like “hard-working” or “team player” or "passionate"
Example: “Skilled in Unity, C#, and LiveOps systems. Built seasonal pipelines used by 5M+ MAUs.”

3. Be clear about what you’re looking for
Roles, titles, level, remote/onsite, locations you’re open to. Clarity helps people help you.
Example: “Open to gameplay designer roles (mid or senior), remote preferred, but open to relocation in North America.”

4. Include one sentence about what drives you
Let people understand what motivates you or what kind of game/team you love.
Example: “I’m most energized when working on cooperative gameplay and systems that reward team skill.”

5. Share a link to your resume and/or portfolio
Make it easy. This is essential.

6. Thank those helping and ask directly for engagement to drive more engagement.
Be explicit:
“Thank you to everyone who’s offered advice or support. If you’re willing to reshare this post or tag someone hiring, I’d deeply appreciate it.”

7. Tag 5–10 key allies or organizations
Past collaborators, trusted managers, recruiters. Not 50 names. You want people who are likely to engage. The LinkedIn algorithm punishes you for non-engaging mentions.

8. Optional extras that help:

Mention your visa/work authorization if relevant (I find more openness upfront, for all things, is better)
Share 1-2 favorite accomplishments or stats
Add a clear headline to the post for visibility (e.g. “Open to work: Narrative Designer | Remote or LA”)

---

❌ What not to do:

1. Don’t play the empathy card
Framing your post around how hard this has been or your pain won’t drive the engagement you’re hoping for.
Keep the focus on your skills, experience, and what you want next.

2. Don’t say how long you’ve been looking / how many applications
It can make people ask questions, fair or not.

3. Don’t be vague
Avoid lines like “open to opportunities” or “seeing what’s out there.” Get specific so people know how to help.

4. Don’t write a novel or something too short
3-6 short, clear paragraphs is the sweet spot.
Too long, and most people won’t finish it.
Too short (like a 3-4 sentence post) likely won’t have enough detail to spark meaningful engagement.

---

Need more help?
Find always free CV, portfolio, and LinkedIn reviews daily in our Discord: discord.gg/asgc.
Find volunteer-led support and tens of other resources at asgc.gg 
Find 1,000 annual helpful posts by following me on LinkedIn

We’ve helped 4,500+ people land roles. You're next!

Amir Satvat

Founder @ ASGC | Helping game developers stay employed and find their next role | BD Director @ Tencent Games

“What did I do wrong at my job or in my interview to lose this role?”

Listen.

You didn’t do anything wrong.
You feel me?

The reason has nothing to do with your talent, effort, or value.

On the layoff side, it’s often because:
• The product never found market fit
• A game underperformed relative to forecasts
• Monetization fell short
• Retention or engagement missed targets despite strong execution
• A live service plateaued or declined
• A sequel or expansion didn’t land as expected
• A publisher pulled support
• A partner exited the project
• A platform deal fell through
• Funding dried up despite progress
• Investment hurdle rates were raised
• Margin targets changed mid-cycle
• ROI requirements shifted
• Forecasts no longer cleared internal thresholds
• Capital was reallocated to fewer, safer bets
• Leadership misjudged genre, timing, or demand
• Market demand shifted faster than the roadmap
• A competitor launched something disruptive first

And on the role or hiring side, it’s often because:
• A company-wide layoff or reduction in force
• A studio closure or consolidation
• A project cancellation
• Too many qualified candidates for one role
• A team merger or elimination
• A reorg that removed entire functions
• Headcount caps imposed from above
• Cost-cutting unrelated to performance
• A strategic pivot away from your discipline
• Overhiring during better times
• A favored internal candidate or referral
• Decreased consumer spending
• Outsourcing or offshoring decisions
• A mandate to reduce burn
• A leadership change that reset priorities
• A delayed or canceled greenlight
• A role eliminated to preserve runway
• A department centralized elsewhere
• A location-based consolidation
• A shift to fewer, larger bets
• A move away from in-house development

And more.

This is not a reflection of your worth.
It is not proof that you failed.
It is not evidence that you “did something wrong.”

It’s the system.
Not you.

Capisce?

I wrote a post this week about that brutal question people ask after a layoff or rejection: “What did I do wrong?”

And my point was simple: a lot of the time, you didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t lose talent or value. You got hit by forces above your pay grade.

Then someone replied with something I respect because it was real:
“Amir, I hear you. And it’s well intentioned. But we’re still drowning. Layoffs are still happening. The calls stopped coming. We’re applying nonstop and hearing nothing back. It’s taking a real mental toll. So what are we supposed to do besides read nice words?”

I’ve been sitting with that question for 3.5 years.

Most of what’s driving this moment in games is macroeconomics and tech: 
cost of capital, demand shifts, job geography, outsourcing, portfolio risk reductions, AI.

Said plainly, I don't know how much any individual or organization can...
... change macroeconomics.
... force hiring.
... reverse globalization.
... stop tech development.
... increase consumer demand.

I advocate constantly, publicly and privately. But change is herculean. If you think I’m not pushing, you’re mistaken. I’m just not an internet firebrand.

And here’s another hard truth.

Even at a record high this week, with ~43% of active job seekers saying the community significantly helped them, we’ll never reach 100%, maybe not even 50%.

When opportunities are scarce, even doing everything right won’t be enough for everyone. I don’t blame the frustration. I care deeply. No one can help everyone.

So what does “help” actually mean?

This is the conversation I have with myself constantly as ASGC's leader.

If I only talk systemic forces, people still can’t eat.
If I only post encouragement, it can feel like empty calories.
If I only post tactics, others feel left behind.

So the only approach I believe in is 3 layers at once.

Layer 1 is emotional survival.
Hope isn’t fluff. Hopelessness makes people disappear.
You may not need it today, but many do.
Much of my weekly inbox is talking people back from despair.

Layer 2 is tactical advantage.
Tools, visibility, coaching, interview practice, feedback loops, relationship building.
This drives job capture. You know the numbers.

Layer 3 is systemic pressure.
Slow, but critical. Visibility. Norms. Transparency. Policy.
We’ve nudged the conversation, but can always do more.

With 1,000+ posts a year, each post can’t be for every person at every moment. Some keep someone going. Some get people hired. Some push the industry.

You need all 3.

So if you’re reading this while drowning, I’m not asking you to “stay positive.”
I’m saying: I see you. I believe you. I’m going to keep building leverage with you.

I don’t always know how to move the macro storm, but I chase anyway.
Each day, I can encourage people, share insights, and build more lifeboats.

Encouragement alone doesn’t pay the bills.
But macro analysis without practical help doesn’t either.
That’s the balance I try to improve on every day.

I would like to ask every human reading this to help me

Gene Park stood up for us and the games community when it counted.
So in this much higher stakes moment of literal life and death, we must stand up for him.

If you’ve spent any time in games media, you already know Gene. He is not only a great reporter and critic at The Washington Post, but one of those rare humans who shows up with kindness and integrity even when it would be easier not to.

Gene is fighting stage 4 colon cancer.
He was first diagnosed in June 2022. After intense chemotherapy and multiple major surgeries, he entered 2023 in remission, a period he was grateful for and hoped would last. In October 2023, doctors discovered a tumor in his right lung. It was metastatic colon cancer, not a new lung cancer, and it was treated with cryoablation.

Last November, another tumor was found, this time in his left lung. His cancer has returned again.

On January 29, Gene is scheduled to undergo a lobectomy to remove an entire lobe of his lung. Afterward, he is expected to resume chemotherapy. Even with insurance, the costs of surgery, ongoing treatment, recovery time, and follow-up care are heavy and persistent.

Gene has a GoFundMe up to help reduce that burden, so he can focus on the only job that matters right now: getting through this and healing.

If you are able, please donate.
If you can’t, please share.

Here is the link:
https://lnkd.in/e5c6XUCz

Gene has given a lot of himself to this industry, and he’s been there for people when it mattered.

Let’s be there for him now.

Open article: Donate to Support Gene Park's Cancer Surgery and Treatment, organized by Gene Park by gofundme.com

Donate to Support Gene Park's Cancer Surgery and Treatment, organized by Gene Park

Based on a 91% to 9% community vote, I want to try something new this week and see what kind of engagement and response we get.

We are going to do something that I am calling the ASGC Jobs Weekly.

Per community request, many of you have asked for an avenue where hiring managers and recruiters can share roles they want job seekers in our community to see. This is an experiment in creating one more space for immediate, high signal engagement between hiring teams and job seekers.

If you are a hiring manager or recruiter and you have roles to share, please follow these ground rules:

1. One comment per poster

2. Please only post roles that are new this week

3. Please only post roles that are directly applicable to skills likely found in the games community (roles do not need to be in games)

4. Include a link to the role(s) so people can apply quickly

5. If possible, include location and whether remote is supported

6. This is for those LISTING/OFFERING jobs only - please do not comment with your interest as a candidate to keep the post clear - I will delete such comments

I will be watching this today and over the next few days for engagement.

To make this sustainable, I will try it for a week or two no matter what. But for this to remain worth the space in our posting schedule, we will need tens of comments and meaningful engagement from both posters and job seekers.

I hope everybody enjoys this, and I deeply appreciate the time of hiring managers and recruiters who are willing to contribute roles here. This is one more chance to get opportunities in front of job seekers in our community, fast.

Hiring managers and recruiters, please drop your new games-applicable roles in the comments.

I want to thank everybody at ASGC in our Discord community

I am delighted to let you know that our mission of zero profit, infinite caring member service has now put us at #7 out of 6,882 servers in games. Your trust means so much in finally breaking into the top 10.

You can see it here if you simply click on the "Gaming" tab in Discord SEO:
https://lnkd.in/d8czZzcR

We are always looking to improve but I am glad what we offer resonates with so many of you - 16,306 and counting.

Want to join us? Come right to...
discord.gg/asgc

Thank you Justin Williams for pushing me so hard to start this in the first place.

And thank you to the whole team...

Co-Chiefs of Staff
Audrey White
Tim Wood

Events Officer
Tommy Foo

Lead Moderators
Alexander Brazie
Andrea Saravia Pérez
Heather Taylor
Justin Williams
Ricardo Fleck
Tommy Foo

Security
Tim Wood
Ricardo Fleck
Luke Davis
Serena Abdallah-Robbins
Simone van Galen

Operation
🥑 Liam Sorta
Andrew Yung
Audrey White

Community Enforcers
Heather Taylor
Antonio C.
Sebastyen Simpson

Community Managers
Ashley Searby
Wendy Prantner
Beth M.
Alejandra Flores
Jane Le
Khadija Iqbal
Kira Stout
Sabrina Summers
Munna Aziz Rahaman
Ken Lanyon
Josephine Emenya

We will keep working for a bit more for all of you each day!

Please be completely honest. This will not hurt anyone’s feelings and is a critical biannual exercise we use to calibrate impact.

If looking for games work between 2023 and today, was ASGC a significant source of support, even if it did not directly lead to your job?

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

FOLKS, IF YOU ENTERED OUR GDC DRAWING, CHECK INBOX AND SPAM

We just sent out Round 2 of GDC Festival of Gaming passes to backup entrants, and we want to make sure nobody misses their chance.

In anticipating questions:
• No, I dearly apologize - we can't take new entrants at this time
• No, I dearly apologize - I won't answer individual DMs or emails to confirm if someone won or not. I promise we didn't forget to write you if you won

Please do check your inbox and spam and respond as soon as you can so you can enjoy your pass!

In the emails you received, a time deadline is communicated. Kindly respond within that window. Afterwards, we will have a third round of hitting our backup list as needed.

Thank you!

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