The app for independent voices
Sebastian Cardoso 's diagnosis of why mentorship is so scarce in games is sharp: leaders promoted without preparation, developers treated as resources to allocate, structural economics that prioritize short-term survival over long-term investment.
I hate to say this but I’ve been there on all sides.
His approach which is inding the right fit (one or two career stages ahead), consistency over formality, agenda belongs to the mentee, narrating thinking rather than giving answers, sharing failures not just wins.
Based on that the retention data is striking: 91% job satisfaction for those with mentors, 72% retention for mentees vs 49% for non-participants.
The culture-building point for studio founders is especially relevant.
Mentorship culture sets faster than founders expect.
By the time you have fifteen people, those patterns are already fixed.
Studios where experienced people invest in developing less experienced people create compounding returns.
People grow faster, contribute sooner, stay longer, then become mentors themselves.
